The International Pulsar Timing Array: First data release
The International Pulsar Timing Array: First data release
复制标题
国际脉冲星计时阵列：首次数据发布
DOI：
10.1093/mnras/stw347
复制
发表时间：
2016-05-11
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Zhu, X. -J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Verbiest, J. P. W.;Lentati, L.;Zhu, X. -J.
中子星高度稳定的自旋可以用于各种（天文）物理研究。特别是，具有毫秒级旋转周期的天文卫星阵列可以用于检测相关信号，例如由引力波引起的信号。在过去的几十年里，世界各地已经建立了三个这样的“脉冲星定时阵列”（PTA），并共同组成了“国际”PTA（IPTA）。在本文中，我们描述了第一次联合分析的数据从三个区域PTA，即第一个IPTA数据集。我们描述了现有的PTA数据，目前遵循的方法，其组合，并建议改进未来的PTA研究。特别注意的是微妙的细节（如低估的测量不确定性和长周期噪声），往往被忽视，但在这个前所未有的大和不均匀的数据集变得重要。我们确定并详细描述了IPTA研究复杂化的几个因素，并为未来的脉冲星计时工作提供了建议。第一个IPTA数据发布在这里（和可用的在线）是用来证明IPTA的潜力，改善引力波的限制
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 on-line) is used to demonstrate the IPTA's potential of improving upon gravitational-wave limits