Listening to Cosmic Symphony: Investigating Gravitational Waves with Pulsar Timing Arrays

(Note: This talk will be followed by Observing the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn via TBH Astronomy Club)

The universe is humming with gravitational radiation — a very low-frequency rumble that rhythmically stretches and compresses spacetime and the matter embedded in it. The question now is: Are the long-wavelength gravitational waves — with periods from years to decades — also produced by black holes?

The pulsar timing array group focuses on the detection and characterization of gravitational waves in the nanohertz frequency band, as well as the understanding and modeling of relevant astrophyical sources. A number of observational groups have worked for nearly two decades to detect these gravitational waves via high-precision timing of Galactic millisecond pulsars.

About the Speaker:

M. Irfan Saeed has been an Observational Astrophysicist. His research interests focus on utilizing NASA’s TESS and JWST data to discover and characterize transiting exoplanets and their atmospheres. He had graduated in BS Space Science from IST in 2016 and worked as distant collaborative researcher with Tarleton State University. Also attended International School for Young Astronomers (ISYA) on Stars and Exoplanets organized by International Astronomical Union (IAU), Yunnan Astronomical Observatories (YAO) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He is the first and only Pakistani till date to discover three exoplanets.