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Gouttenoire Y. First-Order Phase Transition Interpretation of Pulsar Timing Array Signal Is Consistent with Solar-Mass Black Holes. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 131:171404. [PMID: 37955485 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.171404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
We perform a Bayesian analysis of NANOGrav 15-yr and IPTA DR2 pulsar timing residuals and show that the recently detected stochastic gravitational-wave background is compatible with a stochastic gravitational-wave background produced by bubble dynamics during a cosmological first-order phase transition. The timing data suggest that the phase transition would occur around QCD confinement temperature and would have a slow rate of completion. This scenario can naturally lead to the abundant production of primordial black holes with solar masses. These primordial black holes can potentially be detected by current and advanced gravitational-wave detectors LIGO-Virgo-Kagra, Einstein Telescope, Cosmic Explorer, by astrometry with GAIA, and by 21-cm survey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Gouttenoire
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
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2
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Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds: Current Detection Efforts and Future Prospects. GALAXIES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/galaxies10010034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The collection of individually resolvable gravitational wave (GW) events makes up a tiny fraction of all GW signals that reach our detectors, while most lie below the confusion limit and are undetected. Similarly to voices in a crowded room, the collection of unresolved signals gives rise to a background that is well-described via stochastic variables and, hence, referred to as the stochastic GW background (SGWB). In this review, we provide an overview of stochastic GW signals and characterise them based on features of interest such as generation processes and observational properties. We then review the current detection strategies for stochastic backgrounds, offering a ready-to-use manual for stochastic GW searches in real data. In the process, we distinguish between interferometric measurements of GWs, either by ground-based or space-based laser interferometers, and timing-residuals analyses with pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). These detection methods have been applied to real data both by large GW collaborations and smaller research groups, and the most recent and instructive results are reported here. We close this review with an outlook on future observations with third generation detectors, space-based interferometers, and potential noninterferometric detection methods proposed in the literature.
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Xue X, Bian L, Shu J, Yuan Q, Zhu X, Bhat NDR, Dai S, Feng Y, Goncharov B, Hobbs G, Howard E, Manchester RN, Russell CJ, Reardon DJ, Shannon RM, Spiewak R, Thyagarajan N, Wang J. Constraining Cosmological Phase Transitions with the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:251303. [PMID: 35029430 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.251303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A cosmological first-order phase transition is expected to produce a stochastic gravitational wave background. If the phase transition temperature is on the MeV scale, the power spectrum of the induced stochastic gravitational waves peaks around nanohertz frequencies, and can thus be probed with high-precision pulsar timing observations. We search for such a stochastic gravitational wave background with the latest data set of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array. We find no evidence for a Hellings-Downs spatial correlation as expected for a stochastic gravitational wave background. Therefore, we present constraints on first-order phase transition model parameters. Our analysis shows that pulsar timing is particularly sensitive to the low-temperature (T∼1-100 MeV) phase transition with a duration (β/H_{*})^{-1}∼10^{-2}-10^{-1} and therefore can be used to constrain the dark and QCD phase transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Xue
- CAS Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- II. Institute of Theoretical Physics, Universität Hamburg, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ligong Bian
- Department of Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Strongly Coupled Physics, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Jing Shu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- School of Fundamental Physics and Mathematical Sciences, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
- Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- International Center for Theoretical Physics Asia-Pacific, Beijing/Hanzhou, China
| | - Qiang Yuan
- Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Key Laboratory of Dark Matter and Space Astronomy, Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210023, China
- School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Xingjiang Zhu
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
- OzGrav: The ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
- Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai 519087, China
| | - N D Ramesh Bhat
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Shi Dai
- Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW 1797, Australia
| | - Yi Feng
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Boris Goncharov
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
- OzGrav: The ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
| | - George Hobbs
- CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia
| | - Eric Howard
- CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia
- Macquarie University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | | | - Christopher J Russell
- CSIRO Scientific Computing, Australian Technology Park, Locked Bag 9013, Alexandria, NSW 1435, Australia
| | - Daniel J Reardon
- OzGrav: The ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
- Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
| | - Ryan M Shannon
- OzGrav: The ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
- Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
| | - Renée Spiewak
- Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jingbo Wang
- Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 150 Science 1-Street, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, China
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Dix-Matthews BP, Schediwy SW, Gozzard DR, Savalle E, Esnault FX, Lévèque T, Gravestock C, D'Mello D, Karpathakis S, Tobar M, Wolf P. Point-to-point stabilized optical frequency transfer with active optics. Nat Commun 2021; 12:515. [PMID: 33483509 PMCID: PMC7822849 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20591-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Timescale comparison between optical atomic clocks over ground-to-space and terrestrial free-space laser links will have enormous benefits for fundamental and applied sciences. However, atmospheric turbulence creates phase noise and beam wander that degrade the measurement precision. Here we report on phase-stabilized optical frequency transfer over a 265 m horizontal point-to-point free-space link between optical terminals with active tip-tilt mirrors to suppress beam wander, in a compact, human-portable set-up. A phase-stabilized 715 m underground optical fiber link between the two terminals is used to measure the performance of the free-space link. The active optical terminals enable continuous, cycle-slip free, coherent transmission over periods longer than an hour. In this work, we achieve residual instabilities of 2.7 × 10-6 rad2 Hz-1 at 1 Hz in phase, and 1.6 × 10-19 at 40 s of integration in fractional frequency; this performance surpasses the best optical atomic clocks, ensuring clock-limited frequency comparison over turbulent free-space links.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin P Dix-Matthews
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
| | - Sascha W Schediwy
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - David R Gozzard
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Etienne Savalle
- SYRTE, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, LNE, Paris, France
| | | | - Thomas Lévèque
- Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES), Toulouse, France
| | - Charles Gravestock
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Darlene D'Mello
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Skevos Karpathakis
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Michael Tobar
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Peter Wolf
- SYRTE, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, LNE, Paris, France
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The NANOGrav 12.5 yr Data Set: Observations and Narrowband Timing of 47 Millisecond Pulsars. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4365/abc6a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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7
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The NANOGrav 11 yr Data Set: Evolution of Gravitational-wave Background Statistics. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab68db] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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9
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Wang HT, Jiang Z, Sesana A, Barausse E, Huang SJ, Wang YF, Feng WF, Wang Y, Hu YM, Mei J, Luo J. Science with the TianQin observatory: Preliminary results on massive black hole binaries. Int J Clin Exp Med 2019. [DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.100.043003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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10
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The NANOGrav 11 yr Data Set: Limits on Gravitational Waves from Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab2236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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11
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12
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13
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Universality of free fall from the orbital motion of a pulsar in a stellar triple system. Nature 2018; 559:73-76. [PMID: 29973733 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0265-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Einstein's theory of gravity-the general theory of relativity1-is based on the universality of free fall, which specifies that all objects accelerate identically in an external gravitational field. In contrast to almost all alternative theories of gravity2, the strong equivalence principle of general relativity requires universality of free fall to apply even to bodies with strong self-gravity. Direct tests of this principle using Solar System bodies3,4 are limited by the weak self-gravity of the bodies, and tests using pulsar-white-dwarf binaries5,6 have been limited by the weak gravitational pull of the Milky Way. PSR J0337+1715 is a hierarchical system of three stars (a stellar triple system) in which a binary consisting of a millisecond radio pulsar and a white dwarf in a 1.6-day orbit is itself in a 327-day orbit with another white dwarf. This system permits a test that compares how the gravitational pull of the outer white dwarf affects the pulsar, which has strong self-gravity, and the inner white dwarf. Here we report that the accelerations of the pulsar and its nearby white-dwarf companion differ fractionally by no more than 2.6 × 10-6. For a rough comparison, our limit on the strong-field Nordtvedt parameter, which measures violation of the universality of free fall, is a factor of ten smaller than that obtained from (weak-field) Solar System tests3,4 and a factor of almost a thousand smaller than that obtained from other strong-field tests5,6.
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14
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Observations of the missing baryons in the warm-hot intergalactic medium. Nature 2018; 558:406-409. [PMID: 29925969 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0204-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
It has been known for decades that the observed number of baryons in the local Universe falls about 30-40 per cent short1,2 of the total number of baryons predicted 3 by Big Bang nucleosynthesis, as inferred4,5 from density fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background and seen during the first 2-3 billion years of the Universe in the so-called 'Lyman α forest'6,7 (a dense series of intervening H I Lyman α absorption lines in the optical spectra of background quasars). A theoretical solution to this paradox locates the missing baryons in the hot and tenuous filamentary gas between galaxies, known as the warm-hot intergalactic medium. However, it is difficult to detect them there because the largest by far constituent of this gas-hydrogen-is mostly ionized and therefore almost invisible in far-ultraviolet spectra with typical signal-to-noise ratios8,9. Indeed, despite large observational efforts, only a few marginal claims of detection have been made so far2,10. Here we report observations of two absorbers of highly ionized oxygen (O VII) in the high-signal-to-noise-ratio X-ray spectrum of a quasar at a redshift higher than 0.4. These absorbers show no variability over a two-year timescale and have no associated cold absorption, making the assumption that they originate from the quasar's intrinsic outflow or the host galaxy's interstellar medium implausible. The O VII systems lie in regions characterized by large (four times larger than average 11 ) galaxy overdensities and their number (down to the sensitivity threshold of our data) agrees well with numerical simulation predictions for the long-sought warm-hot intergalactic medium. We conclude that the missing baryons have been found.
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Abstract
AbstractThe millisecond pulsar PSR J0337+1715 is in a mildly relativistic hierarchical triple system with two white dwarfs. This offers the possibility of testing the universality of free fall: does the neutron star fall with the same acceleration as the inner white dwarf in the gravity of the outer white dwarf? We have carried out an intensive pulsar timing campaign, yielding some 27000 pulse time-of-arrival (TOA) measurements with a median uncertainty of 1.2 μs. Here we describe our analysis procedure and timing model.
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The NANOGrav 11 Year Data Set: Pulsar-timing Constraints on the Stochastic Gravitational-wave Background. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aabd3b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 236] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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18
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Testing the Binary Hypothesis: Pulsar Timing Constraints on Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidates. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aaad0f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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20
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Abstract
Abstract
A pulsar timing array (PTA) refers to a program of regular, high-precision timing observations of a widely distributed array of millisecond pulsars. Here we review the status of the three primary PTA projects and the joint International Pulsar Timing Array project. We discuss current results related to ultra-low-frequency gravitational wave searches and highlight opportunities for the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Hobbs
- Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia
| | - Shi Dai
- Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO, Epping, NSW 1710, Australia
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22
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The NANOGrav Nine-year Data Set: Measurement and Analysis of Variations in Dispersion Measures. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa73df] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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23
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Taylor SR, Simon J, Sampson L. Constraints on the Dynamical Environments of Supermassive Black-Hole Binaries Using Pulsar-Timing Arrays. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2017; 118:181102. [PMID: 28524688 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.181102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a technique for gravitational-wave analysis, where Gaussian process regression is used to emulate the strain spectrum of a stochastic background by training on population-synthesis simulations. This leads to direct Bayesian inference on astrophysical parameters. For pulsar timing arrays specifically, we interpolate over the parameter space of supermassive black-hole binary environments, including three-body stellar scattering, and evolving orbital eccentricity. We illustrate our approach on mock data, and assess the prospects for inference with data similar to the NANOGrav 9-yr data release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Taylor
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91106, USA
| | - Joseph Simon
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee Wisconsin 53201, USA
| | - Laura Sampson
- Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, 2131 Tech Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
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Romano JD, Cornish NJ. Detection methods for stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds: a unified treatment. LIVING REVIEWS IN RELATIVITY 2017; 20:2. [PMID: 28690422 PMCID: PMC5478100 DOI: 10.1007/s41114-017-0004-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We review detection methods that are currently in use or have been proposed to search for a stochastic background of gravitational radiation. We consider both Bayesian and frequentist searches using ground-based and space-based laser interferometers, spacecraft Doppler tracking, and pulsar timing arrays; and we allow for anisotropy, non-Gaussianity, and non-standard polarization states. Our focus is on relevant data analysis issues, and not on the particular astrophysical or early Universe sources that might give rise to such backgrounds. We provide a unified treatment of these searches at the level of detector response functions, detection sensitivity curves, and, more generally, at the level of the likelihood function, since the choice of signal and noise models and prior probability distributions are actually what define the search. Pedagogical examples are given whenever possible to compare and contrast different approaches. We have tried to make the article as self-contained and comprehensive as possible, targeting graduate students and new researchers looking to enter this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D. Romano
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX 78520 USA
| | - Neil. J. Cornish
- Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
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25
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Vigeland S, Siemens X. Supermassive black hole binary environments: Effects on the scaling laws and time to detection for the stochastic background. Int J Clin Exp Med 2016. [DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.94.123003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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27
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THE NANOGRAV NINE-YEAR DATA SET: MASS AND GEOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS OF BINARY MILLISECOND PULSARS. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.3847/0004-637x/832/2/167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 371] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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28
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Sesana A, Shankar F, Bernardi M, Sheth RK. Selection bias in dynamically measured supermassive black hole samples: consequences for pulsar timing arrays. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/mnrasl/slw139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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29
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THE NANOGRAV NINE-YEAR DATA SET: LIMITS ON THE ISOTROPIC STOCHASTIC GRAVITATIONAL WAVE BACKGROUND. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.3847/0004-637x/821/1/13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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30
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Spitler LG, Scholz P, Hessels JWT, Bogdanov S, Brazier A, Camilo F, Chatterjee S, Cordes JM, Crawford F, Deneva J, Ferdman RD, Freire PCC, Kaspi VM, Lazarus P, Lynch R, Madsen EC, McLaughlin MA, Patel C, Ransom SM, Seymour A, Stairs IH, Stappers BW, van Leeuwen J, Zhu WW. A repeating fast radio burst. Nature 2016; 531:202-5. [PMID: 26934226 DOI: 10.1038/nature17168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 576] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Fast radio bursts are millisecond-duration astronomical radio pulses of unknown physical origin that appear to come from extragalactic distances. Previous follow-up observations have failed to find additional bursts at the same dispersion measure (that is, the integrated column density of free electrons between source and telescope) and sky position as the original detections. The apparent non-repeating nature of these bursts has led to the suggestion that they originate in cataclysmic events. Here we report observations of ten additional bursts from the direction of the fast radio burst FRB 121102. These bursts have dispersion measures and sky positions consistent with the original burst. This unambiguously identifies FRB 121102 as repeating and demonstrates that its source survives the energetic events that cause the bursts. Additionally, the bursts from FRB 121102 show a wide range of spectral shapes that appear to be predominantly intrinsic to the source and which vary on timescales of minutes or less. Although there may be multiple physical origins for the population of fast radio bursts, these repeat bursts with high dispersion measure and variable spectra specifically seen from the direction of FRB 121102 support an origin in a young, highly magnetized, extragalactic neutron star.
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Affiliation(s)
- L G Spitler
- Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, B-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - P Scholz
- Department of Physics and McGill Space Institute, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - J W T Hessels
- ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo, The Netherlands.,Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - S Bogdanov
- Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - A Brazier
- Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.,Cornell Center for Advanced Computing, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - F Camilo
- Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA.,Square Kilometre Array South Africa, Pinelands, 7405, South Africa
| | - S Chatterjee
- Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - J M Cordes
- Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - F Crawford
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17604-3003, USA
| | - J Deneva
- National Research Council, Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Avenue SW, Washington DC 20375, USA
| | - R D Ferdman
- Department of Physics and McGill Space Institute, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - P C C Freire
- Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, B-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - V M Kaspi
- Department of Physics and McGill Space Institute, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - P Lazarus
- Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, B-53121 Bonn, Germany
| | - R Lynch
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, PO Box 2, Green Bank, West Virginia 24944, USA.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA
| | - E C Madsen
- Department of Physics and McGill Space Institute, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - M A McLaughlin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA
| | - C Patel
- Department of Physics and McGill Space Institute, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - S M Ransom
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, West Virginia 22903, USA
| | - A Seymour
- Arecibo Observatory, HC3 Box 53995, Arecibo, Puerto Rico 00612, USA
| | - I H Stairs
- Department of Physics and McGill Space Institute, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8, Canada.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - B W Stappers
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - J van Leeuwen
- ASTRON, Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo, The Netherlands.,Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - W W Zhu
- Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, B-53121 Bonn, Germany
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31
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ARE WE THERE YET? TIME TO DETECTION OF NANOHERTZ GRAVITATIONAL WAVES BASED ON PULSAR-TIMING ARRAY LIMITS. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.3847/2041-8205/819/1/l6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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DETECTING ECCENTRIC SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE BINARIES WITH PULSAR TIMING ARRAYS: RESOLVABLE SOURCE STRATEGIES. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.3847/0004-637x/817/1/70] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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