ATNF Marsfield Lecture Theatre

Ryan Shannon

Ryan Shannon Colloquium

The detection of gravitational waves using a pulsar timing array requires pulse arrival times to be measured with unprecedented precision. Here we examine the observed timing instabilities (timing noise) of the millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21. We first show that the noise may have a number of astrophysical origins: within the neutron star or its magnetosphere, from a circumpulsar asteroid belt, and from the interstellar medium. We then propose methods for correcting and reducing the effects of the different forms of noise and increasing the sensitivity of a pulsar timing array to gravitational waves.