Search for an Isotropic Gravitational-wave Background with the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array

Abstract Pulsar timing arrays aim to detect nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves (GWs). For a process with α = −2/3, we measure spatial correlations consistent with a GWB, with an estimated false-alarm probability of p ≲ 0.02 (approx.

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• 1 A background of GWs modulates pulsar arrival times and manifests as a stochastic process, common to all pulsars, with a signature spatial correlation.
• 2 Here we describe a search for an isotropic stochastic gravitational-wave background (GWB) using observations of 30 millisecond pulsars from the third data release of the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA), which spans 18 yr.
• 3 Using current Bayesian inference techniques we recover and characterize a common-spectrum noise process.

This work deepens our understanding of the fundamental laws governing the universe, from subatomic particles to cosmic structures.

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