Simulations forecast 21-51% probability of resolving individual SMBH binaries with PTAs in 0-10 years, with localization areas containing ~190k early-type galaxies on average and a ranking method that excludes roughly half the candidates when galaxy properties are available.
A comprehensive framework for phase-coherent mapping of the gravitational-wave sky with pulsar timing arrays
1 Pith paper cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
abstract
We present a practical implementation of a phase-coherent mapping technique for pulsar timing arrays that resolves the full complex polarisation state of the gravitational-wave sky as a function of direction and frequency. Unlike standard cross-correlation methods, this approach preserves the amplitude, phase, and polarisation of the signal in every sky pixel. The resulting maps constitute a compact, minimally processed summary of the data from which all subsequent analyses -- characterisation of a stochastic background, searches for anisotropy, and identification of individual sources -- can be derived within a single unified framework. Our implementation is fully compatible with established pulsar timing data analysis methods. We validate the framework through a series of realistic simulations with varying array configurations, noise properties, and signal types. We demonstrate robust recovery of source amplitudes and sky locations across different scenarios, and discuss the impact of polarisation leakage, noise, and direction-dependent array sensitivity on the recovery of astrophysical signals.
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astro-ph.GA 1years
2026 1verdicts
UNVERDICTED 1representative citing papers
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Prospects of resolving and localising individual supermassive black hole binaries with pulsar timing arrays: the host ranking challenge
Simulations forecast 21-51% probability of resolving individual SMBH binaries with PTAs in 0-10 years, with localization areas containing ~190k early-type galaxies on average and a ranking method that excludes roughly half the candidates when galaxy properties are available.