RUI: Detecting Gravitational Waves with Pulsars - ISM propagation delay

奥伯林学院的丹·斯泰恩布林博士将开发分析脉冲星计时数据的新技术。脉冲星是一种快速旋转的中子星，会发射出射电辐射束。探测到的射电脉冲的精确定时探测恒星物理，原则上可以探测到星系核心的大质量黑洞产生的引力波。在这个项目中，斯泰恩布林博士和他的学生将探索当这些无线电脉冲穿过脉冲星和地球之间的星际气体时的传播效应。了解这些影响很重要，因为它们会在定时信号中引入随机噪声，从而妨碍脉冲星的高精度定时。这项研究有望提高探测引力波的能力，从而造福科学界。分析方法还将有助于理解星际气体，包括它在太空中的分布以及湍流如何在其中运作。斯坦布林博士将为本科生提供研究机会，他们将在数据采集和分析过程中与他密切合作。

Dr. Dan Stinebring of Oberlin College will develop new techniques for the analysis of pulsar timing data. Pulsars are rapidly spinning neutron stars which emit beams of radio radiation. Accurate timing of detected radio pulses probes stellar physics, and can in principle detect gravitational waves produced by massive black holes in the cores of galaxies. In this project, Dr. Stinebring and his students will explore propagation effects as these radio pulses pass through interstellar gas between the pulsars and the Earth. Understanding these effects is important, since they can hamper high precision timing of pulsars by introducing random noise into the timing signals.This research is anticipated to benefit the scientific community by improving the ability to detect gravitational waves. The analysis methods will also aid the understanding of the interstellar gas, including how it is distributed in space and how turbulence operates within it. Dr. Stinebring will provide research opportunities for undergraduate students, who will work closely with him in the process of data taking and analysis.