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Gravitational-Wave Detection Using Pulsars: Status of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array Project

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

G. B. Hobbs*
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710
M. Bailes
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122
N. D. R. Bhat
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122
S. Burke-Spolaor
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122
D. J. Champion
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710
W. Coles
Affiliation:
Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
A. Hotan
Affiliation:
Department of Imaging and Applied Physics, Curtin University of Technology, P.O. Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845
F. Jenet
Affiliation:
Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, University of Texas at Brownsville, 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, TX 78520
L. Kedziora-Chudczer
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710
J. Khoo
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710
K. J. Lee
Affiliation:
Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy, University of Texas at Brownsville, 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, TX 78520 Department of Astronomy, Peking University, 5 Haidian Lu, Beijing 100871, China – PRC
A. Lommen
Affiliation:
Franklin and Marshall College, 415 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17604, USA
R. N. Manchester
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710
J. Reynolds
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710
J. Sarkissian
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710
W. van Straten
Affiliation:
Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122
S. To
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 Institute of Astronomy, School of Physics A29, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006
J. P. W. Verbiest
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122
D. Yardley
Affiliation:
Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 Institute of Astronomy, School of Physics A29, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006
X. P. You
Affiliation:
School of Physical Science and Technology, Southwest University, 2 Tiansheng Road, Chongqing 400715, China – PRC
*
JCorresponding author. Email: George.Hobbs@csiro.au
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Abstract

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The first direct detection of gravitational waves may be made through observations of pulsars. The principal aim of pulsar timing-array projects being carried out worldwide is to detect ultra-low frequency gravitational waves (f ∼ 10−9–10−8 Hz). Such waves are expected to be caused by coalescing supermassive binary black holes in the cores of merged galaxies. It is also possible that a detectable signal could have been produced in the inflationary era or by cosmic strings. In this paper, we review the current status of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array project (the only such project in the Southern hemisphere) and compare the pulsar timing technique with other forms of gravitational-wave detection such as ground- and space-based interferometer systems.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2009

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