Gravitational wave detection and data analysis for pulsar timing arrays Rutger van Haasteren

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Van Haasteren, Rutger, author.

Series:

Springer theses

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gravitational waves--Measurement.

Gravitational waves.

Pulsars.

Genre:

dissertations

Academic theses

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Heidelberg Springer [2013?]

Summary:

Pulsar timing is a promising method for detecting gravitational waves in the nano-Hertz band. In his prize winning Ph. D. thesis Rutger van Haasteren deals with how one takes thousands of seemingly random timing residuals which are measured by pulsar observers, and extracts information about the presence and character of the gravitational waves in the nano-Hertz band that are washing over our Galaxy. The author presents a sophisticated mathematical algorithm that deals with this issue. His algorithm is probably the most well-developed of those that are currently in use in the Pulsar Timing Array community. In chapter 3, the gravitational-wave memory effect is described. This is one of the first descriptions of this interesting effect in relation with pulsar timing, which may become observable in future Pulsar Timing Array projects. The last part of the work is dedicated to an effort to combine the European pulsar timing data sets in order to search for gravitational waves. This study has placed the most stringent limit to date on the intensity of gravitational waves that are produced by pairs of supermassive black holes dancing around each other in distant galaxies, as well as those that may be produced by vibrating cosmic strings. Rutger van Haasteren has won the 2011 GWIC Thesis Prize of the Gravitational Wave International Community for his innovative work in various directions of the search for gravitational waves by pulsar timing

Contents:

Bayesian data analysis of Pulsar Timing Arrays

Gravitational-wave memory and Pulsar Timing Arrays

Limiting the gravitational-wave background with EPTA data

Marginal likelihood calculation with MCMC methods

Notes:

Ph. D. University of Leiden 2011

Includes bibliographical references and index

Print version record

Other Format:

Print version Haasteren, Rutger. Gravitational wave detection and data analysis for pulsar timing arrays

ISBN:

9783642395994

3642395996

3642395988

9783642395987

OCLC:

858940276

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license