Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Gravitational scattering events, in which the path of an interstellar object is deflected by a pulsar or the solar system, give rise to reflex motion that can potentially be detected using pulsar timing. We determine the form of the timing signal expected from a gravitational scattering event, which is ramp-like and resembles the signal produced by a glitch or a gravitational wave burst with memory (BWM), and investigate the prospects for detecting such a signal using a pulsar timing array. The level of timing precision currently achieved for some millisecond pulsars makes it possible to detect objects as small as 10−10 M ☉, less than the mass of the dwarf planet Ceres, at impact parameters as large as . The signals produced by gravitational scattering could provide independent constraints on models of dark matter involving asteroid-mass objects or subhalos, and should be considered as potential false positives in searches for BWMs.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
Authors: Ross J. Jennings, James M. Cordes, Shami Chatterjee
Institution: Cornell University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: National Science Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W2981012276