High precision timing with the EPTA

TL;DR

This paper discusses the European Pulsar Timing Array's methods for high-precision timing of millisecond pulsars, presenting new measurements and limits on gravitational theories using multi-telescope data.

Contribution

It introduces techniques for handling multi-telescope pulsar datasets and reports novel measurements for PSR J1012+5307, including parallax and orbital variations.

Findings

First measurements of parallax, orbital period variation, and semi-major axis change for PSR J1012+5307.

Stringent limits on alternative gravity theories derived from pulsar timing.

Demonstration of multi-telescope data handling techniques for pulsar timing.

Abstract

The European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA) network is a collaboration between the five largest radio telescopes in Europe aiming to study the astrophysics of millisecond pulsars and to detect cosmological gravitational waves in the nano-Hertz regime. The advantages and techniques of handling the multi-telescope datasets of a number of sources will be presented. In addition, the results of the EPTA timing analysis of the pulsar-white dwarf binary PSR J1012+5307 will be reported. Specifically, the measurements for the first time for this system, of the parallax, the variation of the projected semi-major axis and of the orbital period. Finally, the derived stringent, theory independent limits on alternative theories of gravity, with the use of this ideal laboratory for strong- field gravity tests, will be presented.