Cosmic gravitational-wave background: Limits from millisecond pulsar timing

Journal Article · Mon Jul 16 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Physical Review Letters; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.65.285· OSTI ID:6689680

Stinebring, D R; Ryba, M F; Taylor, J H ^[1]; Romani, R W ^[2]

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1. Joseph Henry Laboratories Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (USA)
2. Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ (USA)

We use seven years of millisecond pulsar-timing data to derive rigorous upper bounds on a cosmic gravitational-wave background. The energy density per logarithmic frequency interval near {ital f}=0.14 yr{sup {minus}1} must be {lt}9{times}10{sup {minus}8} (68% confidence), or {lt}4{times}10{sup {minus}7} (95% confidence) of the density required to close the Universe. We detect a red-noise signal in the residuals for one pulsar. Its spectrum appears flatter than the {ital f}{sup {minus}5} power law expected for a gravity-wave background; likely noise sources include changes in the interstellar medium and pulsar rotational instabilities.

• OSTI ID: 6689680
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review Letters; (USA) Vol. 65:3; ISSN PRLTA; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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640106* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmology
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
COSMOLOGY
DATA ANALYSIS
ENERGY DENSITY
GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
LIMITING VALUES
MONTE CARLO METHOD
MOTION
PROBABILITY
PULSARS
ROTATION