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Degree

BA, Oberlin College Honors Theses, Physics and Astronomy, 2007.

Abstract

Though pulsar timing has confirmed the existence of gravitational waves, no technique has directly detected them. Jenet et al. state the requirements for the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) to make a significant detection of the stochastic gravitational wave background within five years. By employing the scintillation information in observations for each pulsar at every epoch, I believe interstellar scattering, an underestimated source of timing noise, can be corrected enough for the PPTA to meet these requirements. The improved detection threshold will help answer important questions about black hole mergers, galaxy evolution, and gravitation.

Subject Headings

Astrophysics

Keywords

Interstellar medium; pulsar timing; gravitational waves

Advisor

Daniel Stinebring (Advisor)

Pages

87p.

Document number: oberlin1207521228
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1207521228

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