SIMBAD references

2026ApJS..282...42C - Astrophys. J., Suppl. Ser., 282, 42 (2026/February-0)

Constraining the nHz Gravitational-wave Background with an X-Ray Pulsar-timing Array from NICER Observations.

CAO T.-Y., ZHENG S.-J., YI S.-X., GE M.-Y., YIN Y.-T., DUAN Y.-M. and WEN X.Y.

Abstract (from CDS):

We present constraints on the nHz gravitational-wave background (GWB) using X-ray pulsar-timing data from the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). By analyzing six millisecond pulsars over a 6 yr observational baseline, we employed a Bayesian framework to model noise components and search for a common red signal consistent with a GWB from supermassive black hole binaries (assuming a spectral index γgwb = 13/3). Our results show no significant evidence for a GWB, yielding a 95% upper limit of ${\mathrm{log}}_{10}({A}_{{\rm{gwb}}})\lt -13.4$. Weak evidence for Hellings-Downs spatial correlations was found (S = 2.5), though the signal remains statistically inconclusive. Compared to radio and γ-ray pulsar-timing arrays, the NICER constraint is currently less stringent but demonstrates the feasibility of X-ray timing with NICER for GWB studies and highlights the potential for improved sensitivity with future X-ray missions.

Abstract Copyright: © 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): Gravitational waves - Pulsars - X-ray astronomy - Bayesian statistics - Neutron stars - Astrophysical black holes

Simbad objects: 6

goto Full paper

goto View the references in ADS

To bookmark this query, right click on this link: simbad:2026ApJS..282...42C and select 'bookmark this link' or equivalent in the popup menu