Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T13:27:02.829Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Future of Pulsar Timing Arrays

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2016

B. W. Stappers*
Affiliation:
Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK email: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Significant advances have been made in the sensitivity of pulsar timing arrays for the detection of gravitational waves in the last decade. This presentation looked forward to consider where the development of pulsar timing arrays might go as we head towards the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and then beyond. I reviewed where progress needs to be made in terms of sensitivity to gravitational waves, including improvements to existing observing approaches and new telescopes such as MeerKAT and FAST and techniques like LEAP. The dramatic increase in the number of millisecond pulsars is presented and how that might affect progress towards a first detection is discussed. Developments in analytic techniques were also discussed, including the removal of interstellar medium effects, red noise and pulse profile variations. A summary of how the SKA can contribute through an increased millisecond pulsar population and pulsar timing sensitivity was presented. With the likelihood that the SKA will implement some form of Key Science Project approach, some ideas of how will this affect how the International Pulsar Timing Array effort and how it might evolve into a KSP were discussed.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

References

Arzoumanian, Z., et al. The NANOGrav Collaboration 2015, ApJ, in press; arXiv:1505.07540Google Scholar
Bassa, C., et al. 2015, MNRAS, submittedGoogle Scholar
Cordes, J. M., Shannon, R. M., & Stinebring, D. R. 2015, ApJ, submitted; arXiv:1503.08491Google Scholar
Demorest, P. B., et al. 2013, ApJ, 762, 94 Google Scholar
Desvignes, G., et al. 2015, MNRAS, submittedGoogle Scholar
Foster, R. S. & Backer, D. C. 1990, ApJ, 361, 300 Google Scholar
Hassall, T. E., et al. 2012, A&A, 543, A66 Google Scholar
Hellings, R. W. & Downs, G. S. 1983, ApJ, 265, L39 Google Scholar
Janssen, G., Hobbs, G., McLaughlin, M., et al. 2015, “Gravitational Wave Astronomy with the SKA,” in Advancing Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array, Proc. Sci., eds. Bourke, T. L., et al., id 37Google Scholar
Keane, E., Bhattacharyya, B., Kramer, M., et al. 2015, “A Cosmic Census of Radio Pulsars with the SKA,” in Advancing Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array, Proc. Sci., eds. Bourke, T. L., et al., id 40Google Scholar
Kondratiev, V. I., Verbiest, J. P. W., Hessels, J. W. T., et al. 2015, A&A, in press; arXiv:1508.02948Google Scholar
Kramer, M. & Stappers, B. 2015, “Pulsar Science with the SKA,” in Advancing Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array, Proc. Sci., eds. Bourke, T. L., et al., id 36Google Scholar
Lee, K. J., Jenet, F. A., & Price, R. H. 2008, ApJ, 685, 1304 Google Scholar
Lee, K., Jenet, F. A., Price, R. H., Wex, N., & Kramer, M. 2010, ApJ, 722, 1589 Google Scholar
Lee, K. J., Wex, N., Kramer, M., et al. 2011, MNRAS, 414, 3251 Google Scholar
Liu, K., Desvignes, G., Cognard, I., et al. 2014, MNRAS, 443, 3752 Google Scholar
Manchester, R. N., Hobbs, G., Bailes, M., et al. 2013, PASA, 30, 17 Google Scholar
Pennucci, T. T., Demorest, P. B., & Ransom, S. M. 2014, ApJ, 790, 93 Google Scholar
Ray, P. S., Abdo, A. A., Parent, D., et al. 2012, 2011 Fermi Symposium proceedings-eConf C110509; arXiv:1205.3089Google Scholar
Romani, R. W. 1989, “Timing a millisecond pulsar array,” in Timing Neutron Stars, eds. Ögelman, H. & van den Heuvel, E. P. J. (Kluwer: New York) p. 113 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosado, P., Sesana, A., & Gair, J. 2015, MNRAS, 451, 2417 Google Scholar
Siemens, X., Ellis, J., Jenet, F., & Romano, J. D. 2013, Classical Quant. Grav., 30, 224015 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verbiest, J. P. W., et al. 2015, MNRAS, submittedGoogle Scholar