This article is cited in 1 paper

70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF V.A. RUBAKOV. REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS

Precision methods of pulsar timing and polarimetry: results and prospects

K. A. Postnov^ab, N. K. Porayko^cd, M. S. Pshirkov<sup>aef

a</sup> Lomonosov Moscow State University, Sternberg State Astronomical Institute
^b Kazan Federal University
^c Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Bonn
^d Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
^e Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
^f Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Astro Space Center, Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory, Pushchino, Moscow region

Abstract: Pulsar timing is a sensitive tool of modern astrophys„ical research enabling measurements of the time delay of electromagnetic signals propagating from the source to the observer. Modern pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are used to address various astrophysical problems, including the direct detection of space–time metric perturbations caused, in particular, by gravitational waves. We review the current status of pulsar timing research and recent results on the detection of a stochastic gravitational wave background at nanohertz frequencies of astrophysical and cosmological origin reported by the international collaborations NANOGrav, EPTA, InPTA, PPTA, and CPTA. We also discuss current constraints on scalar ultralight dark matter (pseudoscalar axion-like bosons) posed by the pulsar timing and polarimetry and prospects of these methods to solve other problems of fundamental physics and cosmology.

Keywords: radiopulsars, pulsar timing, gravitational waves, stochastic gravitational wave background, supermassive binary black holes, ultralight scalar dark matter.

PACS: 04.30.-w, 95.35.+d, 97.60.Gb

Received: October 30, 2024
Revised: November 18, 2024
Accepted: November 18, 2024

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.2024.11.039812

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2025, 68:2, 146–162

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