MAPPING THE GALACTIC CENTER WITH GRAVITATIONAL WAVE MEASUREMENTS USING PULSAR TIMING

Journal Article · Sun Jun 10 04:00:00 EDT 2012 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/752/1/67· OSTI ID:22037068

Kocsis, Bence; Ray, Alak ^[1]

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1. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

We examine the nHz gravitational wave (GW) foreground of stars and black holes (BHs) orbiting SgrA* in the Galactic center. A cusp of stars and BHs generates a continuous GW spectrum below 40 nHz; individual BHs within 1 mpc to SgrA* stick out in the spectrum at higher GW frequencies. The GWs and gravitational near-field effects can be resolved by timing pulsars within a few pc of this region. Observations with the Square Kilometer Array may be especially sensitive to intermediate-mass BHs in this region, if present. A 100 ns-10 {mu}s timing accuracy is sufficient to detect BHs of mass 1000 M{sub Sun} with pulsars at distance 0.1-1 pc in a 3 yr observation baseline. Unlike electromagnetic imaging techniques, the prospects for resolving individual objects through GW measurements improve closer to SgrA*, even if the number density of objects steeply increases inward. Scattering by the interstellar medium will pose the biggest challenge for such observations.

• OSTI ID: 22037068
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 752; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ACCURACY
ASTRONOMY
ASTROPHYSICS
BLACK HOLES
DENSITY
DISTANCE
ENERGY SPECTRA
GALAXY NUCLEI
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
MAPPING
MASS
PULSARS
SCATTERING
STARS