The international pulsar timing array: First data release

The highly stable spin of neutron stars can be exploited for a variety of (astro)physical investigations. In particular, arrays of pulsars with rotational periods of the order of milliseconds can be used to detect correlated signals such as those caused by gravitational waves. Three such 'pulsa...

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Main Authors:	Verbiest, J., Lentati, L., Hobbs, G., Van Haasteren, R., Demorest, P., Janssen, G., Wang, J., Desvignes, G., Caballero, R., Keith, M., Champion, D., Arzoumanian, Z., Babak, S., Bassa, C., Bhat, N., Brazier, A., Brem, P., Burgay, M., Burke-Spolaor, S., Chamberlin, S., Chatterjee, S., Christy, B., Cognard, I., Cordes, J., Dai, S., Dolch, T., Ellis, J., Ferdman, R., Fonseca, E., Gair, J., Garver-Daniels, N., Gentile, P., Gonzalez, M., Graikou, E., Guillemot, L., Hessels, J., Jones, G., Karuppusamy, R., Kerr, M., Kramer, M., Lam, M., Lasky, P., Lassus, A., Lazarus, P., Lazio, T., Lee, K., Levin, L., Liu, K., Lynch, R., Lyne, A., Mckee, J., McLaughlin, M., McWilliams, S., Madison, D., Manchester, R., Mingarelli, C., Nice, D., Oslowski, S., Palliyaguru, N., Pennucci, T., Perera, B., Perrodin, D., Possenti, A., Petiteau, A., Ransom, S., Reardon, D., Rosado, P., Sanidas, S., Sesana, A., Shaifullah, G., Shannon, Ryan, Siemens, X., Simon, J., Smits, R., Spiewak, R., Stairs, I., Stappers, B., Stinebring, D., Stovall, K., Swiggum, J., Taylor, S., Theureau, G.
Format:	Journal Article
Published:	Oxford University Press 2016
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/48051

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author	Verbiest, J. Lentati, L. Hobbs, G. Van Haasteren, R. Demorest, P. Janssen, G. Wang, J. Desvignes, G. Caballero, R. Keith, M. Champion, D. Arzoumanian, Z. Babak, S. Bassa, C. Bhat, N. Brazier, A. Brem, P. Burgay, M. Burke-Spolaor, S. Chamberlin, S. Chatterjee, S. Christy, B. Cognard, I. Cordes, J. Dai, S. Dolch, T. Ellis, J. Ferdman, R. Fonseca, E. Gair, J. Garver-Daniels, N. Gentile, P. Gonzalez, M. Graikou, E. Guillemot, L. Hessels, J. Jones, G. Karuppusamy, R. Kerr, M. Kramer, M. Lam, M. Lasky, P. Lassus, A. Lazarus, P. Lazio, T. Lee, K. Levin, L. Liu, K. Lynch, R. Lyne, A. Mckee, J. McLaughlin, M. McWilliams, S. Madison, D. Manchester, R. Mingarelli, C. Nice, D. Oslowski, S. Palliyaguru, N. Pennucci, T. Perera, B. Perrodin, D. Possenti, A. Petiteau, A. Ransom, S. Reardon, D. Rosado, P. Sanidas, S. Sesana, A. Shaifullah, G. Shannon, Ryan Siemens, X. Simon, J. Smits, R. Spiewak, R. Stairs, I. Stappers, B. Stinebring, D. Stovall, K. Swiggum, J. Taylor, S. Theureau, G.
author_facet	Verbiest, J. Lentati, L. Hobbs, G. Van Haasteren, R. Demorest, P. Janssen, G. Wang, J. Desvignes, G. Caballero, R. Keith, M. Champion, D. Arzoumanian, Z. Babak, S. Bassa, C. Bhat, N. Brazier, A. Brem, P. Burgay, M. Burke-Spolaor, S. Chamberlin, S. Chatterjee, S. Christy, B. Cognard, I. Cordes, J. Dai, S. Dolch, T. Ellis, J. Ferdman, R. Fonseca, E. Gair, J. Garver-Daniels, N. Gentile, P. Gonzalez, M. Graikou, E. Guillemot, L. Hessels, J. Jones, G. Karuppusamy, R. Kerr, M. Kramer, M. Lam, M. Lasky, P. Lassus, A. Lazarus, P. Lazio, T. Lee, K. Levin, L. Liu, K. Lynch, R. Lyne, A. Mckee, J. McLaughlin, M. McWilliams, S. Madison, D. Manchester, R. Mingarelli, C. Nice, D. Oslowski, S. Palliyaguru, N. Pennucci, T. Perera, B. Perrodin, D. Possenti, A. Petiteau, A. Ransom, S. Reardon, D. Rosado, P. Sanidas, S. Sesana, A. Shaifullah, G. Shannon, Ryan Siemens, X. Simon, J. Smits, R. Spiewak, R. Stairs, I. Stappers, B. Stinebring, D. Stovall, K. Swiggum, J. Taylor, S. Theureau, G.
author_sort	Verbiest, J.
building	Curtin Institutional Repository
collection	Online Access
description	The highly stable spin of neutron stars can be exploited for a variety of (astro)physical investigations. In particular, arrays of pulsars with rotational periods of the order of milliseconds can be used to detect correlated signals such as those caused by gravitational waves. Three such 'pulsar timing arrays' (PTAs) have been set up around the world over the past decades and collectively form the 'International' PTA (IPTA). In this paper, we describe the first joint analysis of the data from the three regional PTAs, i.e. of the first IPTA data set. We describe the available PTA data, the approach presently followed for its combination and suggest improvements for future PTA research. Particular attention is paid to subtle details (such as underestimation of measurement uncertainty and long-period noise) that have often been ignored but which become important in this unprecedentedly large and inhomogeneous data set. We identify and describe in detail several factors that complicate IPTA research and provide recommendations for future pulsar timing efforts. The first IPTA data release presented here (and available online) is used to demonstrate the IPTA's potential of improving upon gravitational-wave limits placed by individual PTAs by a factor of ~2 and provides a 2s limit on the dimensionless amplitude of a stochastic gravitational-wave background of 1.7 × 10-15 at a frequency of 1 yr-1. This is 1.7 times less constraining than the limit placed by Shannon et al., due mostly to the more recent, high-quality data they used.
first_indexed	2025-11-14T09:37:05Z
format	Journal Article
id	curtin-20.500.11937-48051
institution	Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category	Local University
last_indexed	2025-11-14T09:37:05Z
publishDate	2016
publisher	Oxford University Press
recordtype	eprints
repository_type	Digital Repository
spelling	curtin-20.500.11937-480512018-03-29T09:07:33Z The international pulsar timing array: First data release Verbiest, J. Lentati, L. Hobbs, G. Van Haasteren, R. Demorest, P. Janssen, G. Wang, J. Desvignes, G. Caballero, R. Keith, M. Champion, D. Arzoumanian, Z. Babak, S. Bassa, C. Bhat, N. Brazier, A. Brem, P. Burgay, M. Burke-Spolaor, S. Chamberlin, S. Chatterjee, S. Christy, B. Cognard, I. Cordes, J. Dai, S. Dolch, T. Ellis, J. Ferdman, R. Fonseca, E. Gair, J. Garver-Daniels, N. Gentile, P. Gonzalez, M. Graikou, E. Guillemot, L. Hessels, J. Jones, G. Karuppusamy, R. Kerr, M. Kramer, M. Lam, M. Lasky, P. Lassus, A. Lazarus, P. Lazio, T. Lee, K. Levin, L. Liu, K. Lynch, R. Lyne, A. Mckee, J. McLaughlin, M. McWilliams, S. Madison, D. Manchester, R. Mingarelli, C. Nice, D. Oslowski, S. Palliyaguru, N. Pennucci, T. Perera, B. Perrodin, D. Possenti, A. Petiteau, A. Ransom, S. Reardon, D. Rosado, P. Sanidas, S. Sesana, A. Shaifullah, G. Shannon, Ryan Siemens, X. Simon, J. Smits, R. Spiewak, R. Stairs, I. Stappers, B. Stinebring, D. Stovall, K. Swiggum, J. Taylor, S. Theureau, G. The highly stable spin of neutron stars can be exploited for a variety of (astro)physical investigations. In particular, arrays of pulsars with rotational periods of the order of milliseconds can be used to detect correlated signals such as those caused by gravitational waves. Three such 'pulsar timing arrays' (PTAs) have been set up around the world over the past decades and collectively form the 'International' PTA (IPTA). In this paper, we describe the first joint analysis of the data from the three regional PTAs, i.e. of the first IPTA data set. We describe the available PTA data, the approach presently followed for its combination and suggest improvements for future PTA research. Particular attention is paid to subtle details (such as underestimation of measurement uncertainty and long-period noise) that have often been ignored but which become important in this unprecedentedly large and inhomogeneous data set. We identify and describe in detail several factors that complicate IPTA research and provide recommendations for future pulsar timing efforts. The first IPTA data release presented here (and available online) is used to demonstrate the IPTA's potential of improving upon gravitational-wave limits placed by individual PTAs by a factor of ~2 and provides a 2s limit on the dimensionless amplitude of a stochastic gravitational-wave background of 1.7 × 10-15 at a frequency of 1 yr-1. This is 1.7 times less constraining than the limit placed by Shannon et al., due mostly to the more recent, high-quality data they used. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/48051 10.1093/mnras/stw347 Oxford University Press restricted
spellingShingle	Verbiest, J. Lentati, L. Hobbs, G. Van Haasteren, R. Demorest, P. Janssen, G. Wang, J. Desvignes, G. Caballero, R. Keith, M. Champion, D. Arzoumanian, Z. Babak, S. Bassa, C. Bhat, N. Brazier, A. Brem, P. Burgay, M. Burke-Spolaor, S. Chamberlin, S. Chatterjee, S. Christy, B. Cognard, I. Cordes, J. Dai, S. Dolch, T. Ellis, J. Ferdman, R. Fonseca, E. Gair, J. Garver-Daniels, N. Gentile, P. Gonzalez, M. Graikou, E. Guillemot, L. Hessels, J. Jones, G. Karuppusamy, R. Kerr, M. Kramer, M. Lam, M. Lasky, P. Lassus, A. Lazarus, P. Lazio, T. Lee, K. Levin, L. Liu, K. Lynch, R. Lyne, A. Mckee, J. McLaughlin, M. McWilliams, S. Madison, D. Manchester, R. Mingarelli, C. Nice, D. Oslowski, S. Palliyaguru, N. Pennucci, T. Perera, B. Perrodin, D. Possenti, A. Petiteau, A. Ransom, S. Reardon, D. Rosado, P. Sanidas, S. Sesana, A. Shaifullah, G. Shannon, Ryan Siemens, X. Simon, J. Smits, R. Spiewak, R. Stairs, I. Stappers, B. Stinebring, D. Stovall, K. Swiggum, J. Taylor, S. Theureau, G. The international pulsar timing array: First data release
title	The international pulsar timing array: First data release
title_full	The international pulsar timing array: First data release
title_fullStr	The international pulsar timing array: First data release
title_full_unstemmed	The international pulsar timing array: First data release
title_short	The international pulsar timing array: First data release
title_sort	international pulsar timing array: first data release
url	http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/48051

The international pulsar timing array: First data release

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