Pulsar Timing Array Sensitivity Investigations Using PTASM

Details Pulsar Timing Array Sensitivity Investigations Using PTASM Pulsar Timing Array Sensitivity Investigations Using PTASM

Jan 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010aas...21560621b&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #215, #606.21; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 36, p.1133

Mathematics

Probability

Scientific paper

Pulsar timing arrays continue to play a major role in the direct detection efforts of gravitational waves. Although our understanding of pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) and how best to use them is ever increasing, current PTA configurations do not meet the necessary sensitivity needed to detect a gravitational wave. To increase the probability of a detection we must deal with three key factors. One, to increase the sensitivity of pulsar timing arrays by optimizing their arrangments. Two, to better understand our current PTAs by exploring optimizations and additions/subtractions of pulsars. And, three, to emphasize a collaborative effort in the first two points resulting in a much greater pulsar timing array sensitivity.
A good first step forward in the execution of these goals is to quantify what is meant by sensitivity, applying this to current PTAs, and then exploring how a pulsar timing array can be optimized. The program PTASM (Pulsar Timing Array Sensitivity Maps) was designed with exactly this in mind. PTASM is a simple, but useful, tool designed to investigate what directions PTAs are sensitive towards and, by extension, how PTAs might be optimized. Further, extensions allow PTASM to display distances out to which a certain signal to noise might be achieved, resulting in the ability to quantify sensitivity as a sensitivity towards a volume of space (i.e. a gravitational wave source density). Finally, in the spirit of collaboration, PTASM is made publicly available with a web based interface. From this develop a useful tool to increase the understanding of PTAs and how to detect a gravitational wave.

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