A group of Chinese scientists has recently found key evidence for the existence of nanohertz gravitational waves, marking a new era in nanohertz gravitational wave research. The research was based on pulsar timing observations carried out with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST).
The research was conducted by the Chinese Pulsar Timing Array (CPTA) collaboration. Researchers (Prof. Kejia Lee, Post-Doc. Siyuan Chen, PhD students Jiangwei Xu, and Zihan Xue) from Department of Astronomy School of Physics and Kavli Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics of Peking University played vital roles in the collaboration.
Their findings were published online in the academic journal Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics ("Searching for the Nano-Hertz Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background with the Chinese Pulsar Timing Array Data Release I").
Accelerations of massive objects disturb the surrounding space-time and produce the "ripples", or gravitational waves. The detection of nanohertz gravitational waves will help astronomers understand the formation of universe structures, and investigate the growth, evolution, and merger of supermassive black holes, the most massive celestial objects in the Universe. It will also help physicists gain insights into the fundamental physical laws of space-time.
To read more, click here.