Pulsar Timing Array Experiments J. P. W. Verbiest∗, S. Osłowski and S. Burke-Spolaor Abstract Pulsar timing is a technique that uses the highly stable spin periods of neutron stars to investigate a wide range of topics in physics and astrophysics. Pul- sar timing arrays (PTAs) use sets of extremely well-timed pulsars as a Galaxy-scale detector with arms extendingbetween Earth and each pulsar in the array.These chal- lenging experiments look for correlated deviations in the pulsars’ timing that are caused by low-frequency gravitational waves (GWs) traversing our Galaxy. PTAs are particularly sensitive to GWs at nanohertz frequencies, which makes them com- plementary to other space- and ground-based detectors. In this chapter, we will de- scribe the methodology behind pulsar timing; provide an overview of the potential uses of PTAs; and summarise where current PTA-based detection efforts stand. Most predictions expect PTAs to successfully detect a cosmological background of GWs emitted by supermassive black-hole binaries and also potentially detect continuous- wave emission from binary supermassive black holes, within the next several years. J. P. W. Verbiest Fakult¨at f¨ur Physik, Universit¨at Bielefeld, Postfach 100131, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany and Max-Planck-Institut f¨ur Radioastronomie, Auf dem H¨ugel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany, e-mail:
[email protected] S. Osłowski Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia, e-mail:
[email protected] S. Burke-Spolaor Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, arXiv:2101.10081v1 [astro-ph.IM] 25 Jan 2021 WV 26506, USA and Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University, Chestnut Ridge Re- search Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA and Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, MaRS Cen- tre West Tower, 661 University Ave.