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The Future of Pulsar Timing Arrays

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2016

B. W. Stappers*
Affiliation:
Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Significant advances have been made in the sensitivity of pulsar timing arrays for the detection of gravitational waves in the last decade. This presentation looked forward to consider where the development of pulsar timing arrays might go as we head towards the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and then beyond. I reviewed where progress needs to be made in terms of sensitivity to gravitational waves, including improvements to existing observing approaches and new telescopes such as MeerKAT and FAST and techniques like LEAP. The dramatic increase in the number of millisecond pulsars is presented and how that might affect progress towards a first detection is discussed. Developments in analytic techniques were also discussed, including the removal of interstellar medium effects, red noise and pulse profile variations. A summary of how the SKA can contribute through an increased millisecond pulsar population and pulsar timing sensitivity was presented. With the likelihood that the SKA will implement some form of Key Science Project approach, some ideas of how will this affect how the International Pulsar Timing Array effort and how it might evolve into a KSP were discussed.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

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