Bill Coles (UCSD)

Bill Coles Colloquium Pulsar Timing Arrays a tool for serious physics

Marsfield

Abstract

Pulsar timing arrays are designed to search for evidence of gravitational waves
from super massive black hole binaries. The sensitivity of present PTAs is just
about adequate to detect the expected background of SMBBs.
However, PTAs are razor sharp tools for studying less exotic but more useful questions such as: (1) study of the ISM on tiny scales; (2) study decadal stability of atomic time; and (3) aligning the solar system to celestial coordinates. The Parkes PTA has been the leader in all of these areas.