The International Pulsar Timing Array project: using pulsars as a gravitational wave detector

G. Hobbs , A. Archibald , Z. Arzoumanian , D. Backer , M. Bailes , N. D. R. Bhat , M. Burgay , S. Burke-Spolaor , D. Champion , Ismaël Cognard (1) , W. Coles , J. Cordes , P. Demorest , G. Desvignes (1) , R. D. Ferdman (1) , L. Finn , P. Freire , M. Gonzalez , J. Hessels , A. Hotan , G. Janssen , F. Jenet , A. Jessner , C. Jordan , V. Kaspi , M. Kramer , V. Kondratiev , J. Lazio , K. Lazaridis , K. J. Lee , Y. Levin , A. Lommen , D. Lorimer , R. Lynch , A. Lyne , R. Manchester , M. Mclaughlin , D. Nice , S. Oslowski , M. Pilia , A. Possenti , M. Purver , S. Ransom , J. Reynolds , S. Sanidas , J. Sarkissian , A. Sesana , R. Shannon , X. Siemens , I. Stairs , B. Stappers , D. Stinebring , G. Theureau (1) , R. van Haasteren , W. van Straten , J. P. W. Verbiest , D. R. B. Yardley , X. P. You

1 USN - Unité Scientifique de la Station de Nançay

The International Pulsar Timing Array project combines observations of pulsars from both northern and southern hemisphere observatories with the main aim of detecting ultra-low frequency (~ 10^-9-10^-8 Hz) gravitational waves. Here we introduce the project, review the methods used to search for gravitational waves emitted from coalescing supermassive binary black-hole systems in the centres of merging galaxies and discuss the status of the project.

Keywords: Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics; Astrophysics - Galaxy Astrophysics

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Astrophysics [astro-ph]

G. Hobbs, A. Archibald, Z. Arzoumanian, D. Backer, M. Bailes, et al.. The International Pulsar Timing Array project: using pulsars as a gravitational wave detector. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 2010, 27, ⟨10.1088/0264-9381/27/8/084013⟩. ⟨insu-03642378⟩