A coherent method for the detection and estimation of continuous gravitational wave signals using a pulsar timing array

Understand

The use of a high precision pulsar timing array is a promising approach to detecting gravitational waves in the very low frequency regime ($10^{-6} -10^{-9}$ Hz) that is complementary to the ground-based efforts (e.g., LIGO, Virgo) at high frequencies ($\sim 10 -10^3$ Hz) and space-based ones (e.g., LISA) at low frequencies ($10^{-4} -10^{-1}$ Hz).

• One of the target sources for pulsar timing arrays are individual supermassive black hole binaries that are expected to form in galactic mergers.
• In this paper, a likelihood based method for detection and estimation is presented for a monochromatic continuous gravitational wave signal emitted by such a source.
• The so-called pulsar terms in the signal that arise due to the breakdown of the long-wavelength approximation are explicitly taken into account in this method.