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Can we hear gravitational-wave "beats" in the rhythm of pulsars?

Researchers propose a method to distinguish between nanohertz gravitational wave sources using pulsar timing arrays. By searching for beat phenomena in the tiny shifts of pulsars' radio-pulse arrival times, scientists can identify specific, nearby binary supermassive black hole systems.

SourceSissa Medialab·JournalJournal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateOct 15, 2025

Shock insights – why objects in the radio sky twinkle

A team of Australian scientists has performed a CT scan of the interstellar medium using a scintillating pulsar, mapping previously unseen layers of plasma. The study reveals an unexpected abundance of compact plasma blobs within the Local Bubble and measures the three-dimensional shape of a bow shock for the first time.

SourceTania Ewing and Associates·JournalNature Astronomy·TypeObservational study·DateApr 21, 2025

Black hole debate settled? Stellar-mass black holes found at the heart of the Milky Way's largest star cluster

Researchers used pulsar accelerations and stellar velocities to determine the presence of a cluster of stellar mass black holes at the centre of Omega Centauri. The study refines understanding of the formation of these intermediate-mass black holes, which could bridge the gap between stellar and supermassive black holes.

SourceUniversity of Surrey·JournalAstronomy and Astrophysics·DateDec 9, 2024

Team unlocks new insights on pulsar signals

A study published in The Astrophysical Journal reveals that pulsar signals change as they move through the interstellar medium, highlighting a need for updates to current ISM density models. The research found that models incorporating galactic structures tend to better fit the data, but predictions of newly discovered pulsars were worse.

SourceSETI Institute·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·DateNov 26, 2024

Astrophysicists uncover supermassive blackhole/dark matter connection in solving the ‘final parsec problem’

Researchers found that pairs of supermassive black holes can merge due to previously overlooked behavior of dark matter particles, proposing a solution to the longstanding final parsec problem. This discovery provides insight into the nature of dark matter and its interaction with supermassive black holes.

SourceUniversity of Toronto·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJul 22, 2024

Study reveals twisted origin of dead stars’ mysterious ‘heartbeats’

Researchers have proposed a new model explaining neutron star glitches, suggesting that the power-law behavior of glitch energies is due to the formation of twisted clusters of superfluid vortices. The study found that the exponent for the power-law behavior closely matched the observed data.

NASA’s Fermi Mission nets 300 gamma-ray pulsars … and counting

The new catalog of gamma-ray pulsars, compiled from the work of 170 scientists globally, reveals a significant increase in gamma-ray emitting pulsars discovered by NASA's Fermi mission. This discovery sheds light on astrophysics research and offers insights into cosmic rays, stellar evolution, gravitational waves, and dark matter.

SourceNASA/Goddard Space Flight Center·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series·DateNov 28, 2023

Pulsars may make dark matter glow

Scientists propose that pulsars could detect dark matter by observing a subtle additional glow. If axions are produced in strong electromagnetic fields around pulsars, they could convert into observable light.

SourceUniversiteit van Amsterdam·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateOct 6, 2023

After 15 years, pulsar timing yields evidence of cosmic background gravitational waves

Researchers report evidence of a cosmic background of gravitational waves likely produced by the merger of supermassive black hole binaries. The signal is detected through millisecond pulsar observations and has implications for our understanding of the universe's large-scale structure.

SourceUniversity of California - Berkeley·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateAug 8, 2023

WVU faculty, students contribute to cosmic breakthrough uncovering evidence of low-frequency gravitational waves

Researchers from West Virginia University have made a groundbreaking discovery by detecting evidence of low-frequency gravitational waves, which can only be perceived with a detector much larger than the Earth. The signal was detected using pulsar timing arrays and has significant implications for understanding spacetime dynamics.

SourceWest Virginia University·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJun 29, 2023

Scientists find evidence for slow-rolling sea of gravitational waves

The NANOGrav team has detected a collective hum of gravitational waves from merging supermassive black holes, providing evidence for a background undulation in spacetime. The signal is thought to be generated by huge black holes at galaxy centers, producing low-frequency gravitational waves that oscillate slowly over years and decades.

SourceCalifornia Institute of Technology·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJun 28, 2023

Scientists use exotic stars to tune into hum from cosmic symphony

Researchers have found evidence for gravitational waves oscillating with periods of years to decades, consistent with slowly undulating waves passing through the Galaxy. The signal was observed using a collection of cosmic clocks called pulsars, which are ultra-dense remnants of massive stars' cores.

SourceNorth American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJun 28, 2023

NANOGRAV’s 15-year journey reveals a cosmic hum

The NANOGrav team has detected evidence of gravitational waves at very low frequencies, which they believe may be caused by the merger of supermassive black holes. The signal is thought to be a result of the gravitational wave background produced by these binary systems.

SourceSETI Institute·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJun 28, 2023

Australian astronomers find possible ‘fingerprints’ of gravitational waves

Researchers using CSIRO's Parkes radio telescope have found strongest evidence yet for low-frequency gravitational waves, providing further insight into Einstein's general theory of relativity. The discovery, published in several journal papers, has also sparked collaboration among international teams searching for similar signals.

SourceCSIRO Australia·JournalPublications of the Astronomical Society of Australia·TypeObservational study·DateJun 28, 2023

Quest for alien signals in the heart of the Milky Way takes off

A team led by Akshay Suresh is searching for periodic signals in the Milky Way's core, which could be a strategic site for an extraterrestrial beacon. The Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS) uses novel methodology to sift through data and identify potential evidence of advanced life forms.

SourceSETI Institute·JournalThe Astronomical Journal·DateMay 30, 2023

Spinning stars shed new light on strange signal coming from galactic center

A team of researchers from Australian National University has found an alternative explanation for the mysterious Galactic Centre Excess, a gamma-ray signal long claimed as a signature of dark matter. The team proposes that the signal may actually come from rapidly-rotating neutron stars, known as millisecond pulsars.

SourceAustralian National University·JournalNature Astronomy·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateApr 28, 2022

Pushing the boundaries of space exploration with X-ray polarimetry

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission enables new measurements of cosmic X-ray sources, such as pulsars, black holes, and neutron stars. With its state-of-the-art telescopes and detectors, IXPE will provide high-quality polarization data of various sources, including supernova remnants, active galaxies, and blazars.

SourceSPIE--International Society for Optics and Photonics·JournalJournal of Astronomical Telescopes Instruments and Systems·DateApr 22, 2022

The hunt for the gravitational wave background

Astronomers have been searching for low-frequency gravitational waves by monitoring pulsar pulses, but now NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope can also be used to detect these waves. The satellite's high-energy light provides a clearer view of pulsars and offers an independent method to detect gravitational waves.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalScience·TypeObservational study·DateApr 7, 2022

Einstein wins again

Researchers have conducted a 16-year experiment to challenge Einstein's theory with pulsars, revealing relativistic effects for the first time and confirming predictions with precision. The study uses the unique Double Pulsar system, which consists of two orbiting radio pulsars, providing an ideal laboratory for testing gravity theories.

SourceWest Virginia University·JournalPhysical Review X·DateDec 14, 2021

Challenging Einstein’s greatest theory with extreme stars

A team of international researchers challenged Einstein's theory of general relativity using pulsars as a cosmic laboratory. They detected new relativistic effects, including light deflection and time dilation, with unprecedented precision. The study provides significant insights into gravity theories and the fundamental forces of nature.

SourceUniversity of East Anglia·JournalPhysical Review X·TypeObservational study·DateDec 13, 2021

Aiming for the sky and beyond: WVU helps net $2 million NSF award to build international gravitational wave detection network

A nearly $2 million NSF grant will accelerate the hunt for low-frequency gravitational waves using high-precision timing observations of exotic stars called millisecond pulsars. WVU's Maura McLaughlin is principal investigator on the project, which aims to discover new types of gravitational waves and expand the IPTA's reach globally.