A pulsar-based time-scale from the International Pulsar Timing Array

Hobbs, G., Guo, L., Caballero, R. N., Coles, W., Lee, K. J., Manchester, R. N., Reardon, D. J., Matsakis, D., Tong, M. L., Arzoumanian, Z., Bailes, M., Bassa, C. G., Bhat, N. D. R., Brazier, A., Burke-Spolaor, S., Champion, D. J., Chatterjee, S., Cognard, I., Dai, S., Desvignes, G., Dolch, T., Ferdman, R. D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2223-1235, Graikou, E., Guillemot, L., Janssen, G. H., Keith, M. J., Kerr, M., Kramer, M., Lam, M. T., Liu, K., Lyne, A., Lazio, T. J. W., Lynch, R., McKee, J. W., McLaughlin, M. A., Mingarelli, C. M. F., Nice, D. J., Oslowski, S., Pennucci, T. T., Perera, B. B. P., Perrodin, D., Possenti, A., Russell, C. J., Sanidas, S., Sesana, A., Shaifullah, G., Shannon, R. M., Simon, J., Spiewak, R., Stairs, I. H., Stappers, B. W., Swiggum, J. K., Taylor, S. R., Theureau, G., Toomey, L., van Haasteren, R., Wang, J. B. and Zhu, X. J. and International Pulsar Timing Array (2020) A pulsar-based time-scale from the International Pulsar Timing Array. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 491 (4). pp. 5951-5965. ISSN 0035-8711

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Abstract

We have constructed a new time-scale, TT(IPTA16), based on observations of radio pulsars presented in the first data release from the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA). We used two analysis techniques with independent estimates of the noise models for the pulsar observations and different algorithms for obtaining the pulsar time-scale. The two analyses agree within the estimated uncertainties and both agree with TT(BIPM17), a post-corrected time-scale produced by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). We show that both methods could detect significant errors in TT(BIPM17) if they were present. We estimate the stability of the atomic clocks from which TT(BIPM17) is derived using observations of four rubidium fountain clocks at the US Naval Observatory. Comparing the power spectrum of TT(IPTA16) with that of these fountain clocks suggests that pulsar-based time-scales are unlikely to contribute to the stability of the best time-scales over the next decade, but they will remain a valuable independent check on atomic time-scales. We also find that the stability of the pulsar-based time-scale is likely to be limited by our knowledge of solar-system dynamics, and that errors in TT(BIPM17) will not be a limiting factor for the primary goal of the IPTA, which is to search for the signatures of nano-Hertz gravitational waves.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: time,pulsars: general,gravitational-waves,millisecond pulsar,precision,package,tempo2,limits,dispersion,noise,model,astronomy and astrophysics,space and planetary science ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3100/3103
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Physics
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 10 Aug 2020 23:52
Last Modified: 03 Nov 2022 16:31
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/76372
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stz3071

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