Studying nanohertz gravitational waves with pulsar timing array and the role of the Chinese VLBI network
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute/S4F-SW - Open Area
Tsung-Dao Lee Institute
Host: Darius Modirrousta-Galian
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Meeting ID: 395398103 (no password)
Abstract:
Pulsars are highly stable celestial clocks and extremely sensitive probes to tiny perturbations in spacetime. Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs), as gravitational wave detectors operating in the nanohertz frequency band, constitute an essential component of gravitational wave astronomy. Currently, observational evidences of nanohertz gravitational waves have emerged, and a definitive detection is expected to be achieved in the near future. In this talk, I will first provide an overview of the current status of nanohertz gravitational wave research with PTAs. I will then introduce some recent progress by the PTA community in improving PTA sensitivity. Furthermore, I will elaborate on the key role of pulsar VLBI observations in PTA data analysis and nanohertz gravitational wave detection, and discuss the latest achievements of the Chinese VLBI Network (CVN) in building its scientific observation capabilities.
Biography:
Dr. Kuo Liu is a research professor at Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, and Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Radio Astronomy and Technology. He received a Bachelor's degree in Space Physics from Peking University in 2007, and obtained his Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester, UK, in 2012. He then worked as postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany from 2011 to 2012, and at the Nançay Radio Observatory affiliated with the Paris Observatory in France, from 2012 to 2014. Afterwards, he worked as a scientific staff at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy from 2014 to 2023, before returning to China in 2024.
