Pulsars and Gravitational Waves
Pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars, have been used by astronomers for decades to listen to the cosmos through their perfectly timed radio pulses.
These "cosmic clocks" are extremely precise, allowing for the detection of tiny disturbances in spacetime by monitoring changes in their pulses.
Now, new research suggests that these tiny changes might let us "hear" a new kind of cosmic rhythm — the beats of gravitational waves.
Recent Discoveries
In 2023, global collaborations, including NANOGrav in the United States and the European Pulsar Timing Array, announced strong evidence for ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves.
- These waves have periods stretching from months to years.
- They may originate from titanic cosmic events.
Astronomers may reveal the universe's hidden gravitational beats through pulsars.
Author's summary: Pulsars help detect gravitational waves.