Alladi Ramakrishnan Hall

The hunt for the nano-Hz gravitational waves using Pulsar Timing Arrays and the Indian participation

Bhal Chandra Joshi

NCRA-TIFR

Pulsar timing is a powerful technique for precision experiments in pulsar astrophysics. By comparing predictions of a rotational model of the neutron star with observed pulse time of arrival, it is possible to extract rotational, positional and binary parameters. The high degree of precision in pulsar timing experiments have been used to test gravitational theories by extracting several relativistic effects near the compact stars in these systems. More importantly, timing of an ensemble of pulsars provides a powerful celestial instrument to detect sub-uHz gravitational waves in a manner complimentary to terrestrial and space based gravitational wave detectors. In my presentation, I will describe the Indian pulsar timing array experiment (InPTA), which utilizes the Ooty Radio Telescope and the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope by our collaboration. I will discuss sources, techniques and preliminary results of InPTA experiment and future plans.