Doppler Tracking, Pulsar Timing and the Sensitivity of Low-Frequency Gravitational Wave Searches

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Speaker(s): John Armstrong (’69)

Gravitational waves (GWs) are predicted across a spectrum ranging from ~kilohertz to femtohertz. Gravity wave detections and subsequent detailed waveform study will give information on astrophysical sources unavailable with any other method. The GW spectrum divides into Fourier bands, depending on detector technology. In the low-frequency (~millihertz) and very-low-frequency (~nanohertz) bands, detectors involve spacecraft Doppler tracking and pulsar timing, respectively. This talk reviews JPL work on these two detection methods, shows how to calculate GW sensitivities in the LF and VLF bands, and discusses the instrumental and other improvements required to achieve detections in these bands.

Colloquium

Junior and senior physics majors attend our biweekly colloquium series, held on Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. in Shanahan B460. The talks are open to all students and to the public, and are frequently attended by scientists from the other Claremont Colleges, Cal Poly Pomona, and others. The series features speakers from a broad range of institutions and fields of physics.