Pulsars and Gravitational Wave Detection

Abstract

The number of known millisecond pulsars has dramatically increased in the last few years. Regular observations of these pulsars may allow gravitational waves with frequencies ~10^-9 Hz to be detected. A ``pulsar timing array'' is therefore complimentary to other searches for gravitational waves using ground-based or space-based interferometers that are sensitive to much higher frequencies. In this review we describe 1) the basic methods for using an array of pulsars as a gravitational wave detector, 2) the sources of the potentially detectable waves, 3) current limits on individual sources and a stochastic background and 4) the new project recently started using the Parkes radio telescope.

Accepted by PASA

References in corpus (4)

• Gravitational Waves Probe the Coalescence Rate of Massive Black Hole Binaries
• Low-Frequency Gravitational Waves from Massive Black Hole Binaries: Predictions for LISA and Pulsar Timing Arrays
• Constraining the properties of the proposed supermassive black hole system in 3c66b: Limits from pulsar timing
• Orbital Motion in the Radio Galaxy 3C 66B: Evidence for a Supermassive Black Hole Binary

Cited by in corpus (18)

• The Parkes Pulsar Timing Array Project
• Science with ASKAP - the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder
• Upper bounds on the low-frequency stochastic gravitational wave background from pulsar timing observations: current limits and future prospects
• An analysis of the timing irregularities for 366 pulsars
• Dispersion Measure Variations and their Effect on Precision Pulsar Timing
• The Effect of Orbital Eccentricity on Gravitational Wave Background Radiation from Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
• Radio Astronomical Polarimetry and High-Precision Pulsar Timing
• An improved solar wind electron-density model for pulsar timing
• Observing gravitational wave bursts in pulsar timing measurements
• Gravitational wave detection using pulsars: status of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array project
• Relic Gravitational Waves with A Running Spectral Index and Its Constraints at High Frequencies
• Constraining the gravitational wave energy density of the Universe using Earth's ring
• Limits on the speed of gravitational waves from pulsar timing
• Mergers of luminous early-type galaxies in the local universe and gravitational wave background
• Using pulsar timing arrays and the quantum normalization condition to constrain relic gravitational waves
• Estimation of spectrum and parameters of relic gravitational waves using space-borne interferometers
• The surfing effect in the interaction of electromagnetic and gravitational waves. Limits on the speed of gravitational waves
• Search for the gravitational wave memory effect with the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array