The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Jan 2023)
The NANOGrav 12.5 yr Data Set: Bayesian Limits on Gravitational Waves from Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
- Zaven Arzoumanian,
- Paul T. Baker,
- Laura Blecha,
- Harsha Blumer,
- Adam Brazier,
- Paul R. Brook,
- Sarah Burke-Spolaor,
- Bence Bécsy,
- J. Andrew Casey-Clyde,
- Maria Charisi,
- Shami Chatterjee,
- Siyuan Chen,
- James M. Cordes,
- Neil J. Cornish,
- Fronefield Crawford,
- H. Thankful Cromartie,
- Megan E. DeCesar,
- Paul B. Demorest,
- Timothy Dolch,
- Brendan Drachler,
- Justin A. Ellis,
- E. C. Ferrara,
- William Fiore,
- Emmanuel Fonseca,
- Gabriel E. Freedman,
- Nathan Garver-Daniels,
- Peter A. Gentile,
- Joseph Glaser,
- Deborah C. Good,
- Kayhan Gültekin,
- Jeffrey S. Hazboun,
- Ross J. Jennings,
- Aaron D. Johnson,
- Megan L. Jones,
- Andrew R. Kaiser,
- David L. Kaplan,
- Luke Zoltan Kelley,
- Joey Shapiro Key,
- Nima Laal,
- Michael T. Lam,
- William G Lamb,
- T. Joseph W. Lazio,
- Natalia Lewandowska,
- Tingting Liu,
- Duncan R. Lorimer,
- Jing Luo,
- Ryan S. Lynch,
- Dustin R. Madison,
- Alexander McEwen,
- Maura A. McLaughlin,
- Chiara M. F. Mingarelli,
- Cherry Ng,
- David J. Nice,
- Stella Koch Ocker,
- Ken D. Olum,
- Timothy T. Pennucci,
- Nihan S. Pol,
- Scott M. Ransom,
- Paul S. Ray,
- Joseph D. Romano,
- Brent J. Shapiro-Albert,
- Xavier Siemens,
- Joseph Simon,
- Magdalena Siwek,
- Renée Spiewak,
- Ingrid H. Stairs,
- Daniel R. Stinebring,
- Kevin Stovall,
- Joseph K. Swiggum,
- Jessica Sydnor,
- Stephen R. Taylor,
- Jacob E. Turner,
- Michele Vallisneri,
- Sarah J. Vigeland,
- Haley M. Wahl,
- Gregory Walsh,
- Caitlin A. Witt,
- Olivia Young,
- The NANOGrav Collaboration
Affiliations
- Zaven Arzoumanian
- X-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 662, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- Paul T. Baker
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Widener University , One University Place, Chester, PA 19013, USA
- Laura Blecha
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Florida , 2001 Museum Rd., Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Harsha Blumer
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Adam Brazier
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Paul R. Brook
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Sarah Burke-Spolaor
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Bence Bécsy
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- J. Andrew Casey-Clyde
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut , 196 Auditorium Road, U-3046, Storrs, CT 06269-3046, USA
- Maria Charisi
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Shami Chatterjee
- ORCiD
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Siyuan Chen
- ORCiD
- Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University , Beijing, 100871 People’s Republic of China
- James M. Cordes
- ORCiD
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Neil J. Cornish
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Montana State University , Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Fronefield Crawford
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Franklin & Marshall College, P.O. Box 3003, Lancaster, PA 17604, USA
- H. Thankful Cromartie
- ORCiD
- University of Virginia, Department of Astronomy, P.O. Box 400325, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
- Megan E. DeCesar
- ORCiD
- George Mason University , Fairfax, VA 22030, resident at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
- Paul B. Demorest
- ORCiD
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 1003 Lopezville Rd., Socorro, NM 87801, USA
- Timothy Dolch
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Hillsdale College, 33 E. College Street, Hillsdale, MI 49242, USA; Eureka Scientific, 2452 Delmer Street, Suite 100, Oakland, CA 94602-3017, USA
- Brendan Drachler
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA; Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Justin A. Ellis
- Bionic Health, 800 Park Offices Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
- E. C. Ferrara
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742, USA; Center for Exploration and Space Studies (CRESST), NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- William Fiore
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Emmanuel Fonseca
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Gabriel E. Freedman
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin−Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Nathan Garver-Daniels
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Peter A. Gentile
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Joseph Glaser
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Deborah C. Good
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia , 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
- Kayhan Gültekin
- ORCiD
- University of Michigan , Dept. of Astronomy, 1085 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
- Jeffrey S. Hazboun
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Ross J. Jennings
- ORCiD
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Aaron D. Johnson
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin−Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA; Theoretical AstroPhysics Including Relativity (TAPIR), MC 350-17, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Megan L. Jones
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin−Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Andrew R. Kaiser
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- David L. Kaplan
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin−Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Luke Zoltan Kelley
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of California at Berkeley , Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Joey Shapiro Key
- ORCiD
- University of Washington Bothell , 18115 Campus Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011, USA
- Nima Laal
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Michael T. Lam
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA; Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- William G Lamb
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- T. Joseph W. Lazio
- Theoretical AstroPhysics Including Relativity (TAPIR), MC 350-17, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Natalia Lewandowska
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, State University of New York at Oswego , Oswego, NY 13126, USA
- Tingting Liu
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin−Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Duncan R. Lorimer
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Jing Luo
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 Saint George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada
- Ryan S. Lynch
- ORCiD
- Green Bank Observatory, P.O. Box 2, Green Bank, WV 24944, USA
- Dustin R. Madison
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Alexander McEwen
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin−Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Maura A. McLaughlin
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Chiara M. F. Mingarelli
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut , 196 Auditorium Road, U-3046, Storrs, CT 06269-3046, USA; Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, 162 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA
- Cherry Ng
- ORCiD
- Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto , 50 St. George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada
- David J. Nice
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, USA
- Stella Koch Ocker
- ORCiD
- Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science and Department of Astronomy, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Ken D. Olum
- ORCiD
- Institute of Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University , Medford, MA 02155, USA
- Timothy T. Pennucci
- ORCiD
- Institute of Physics, Eötvös Loránd University , Pázmány P.s. 1/A, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
- Nihan S. Pol
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Scott M. Ransom
- ORCiD
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
- Paul S. Ray
- ORCiD
- Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5352, USA
- Joseph D. Romano
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University , Lubbock, TX 79409-1051, USA
- Brent J. Shapiro-Albert
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA; Giant Army, 915A 17th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122, USA
- Xavier Siemens
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin−Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Joseph Simon
- ORCiD
- Theoretical AstroPhysics Including Relativity (TAPIR), MC 350-17, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Magdalena Siwek
- ORCiD
- Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University , Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Renée Spiewak
- ORCiD
- Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
- Ingrid H. Stairs
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia , 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
- Daniel R. Stinebring
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA
- Kevin Stovall
- ORCiD
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 1003 Lopezville Rd., Socorro, NM 87801, USA
- Joseph K. Swiggum
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, USA
- Jessica Sydnor
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Stephen R. Taylor
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University , 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Jacob E. Turner
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Michele Vallisneri
- ORCiD
- Theoretical AstroPhysics Including Relativity (TAPIR), MC 350-17, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Sarah J. Vigeland
- ORCiD
- Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin−Milwaukee , P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA
- Haley M. Wahl
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Gregory Walsh
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
- Caitlin A. Witt
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University , P.O. Box 6315, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA ; [email protected]; Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, West Virginia University , Chestnut Ridge Research Building, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA; Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60605, USA
- Olivia Young
- ORCiD
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology , Rochester, NY 14623, USA; Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- The NANOGrav Collaboration
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/acdbc7
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 951,
no. 2
p. L28
Abstract
Pulsar timing array collaborations, such as the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), are seeking to detect nanohertz gravitational waves emitted by supermassive black hole binaries formed in the aftermath of galaxy mergers. We have searched for continuous waves from individual circular supermassive black hole binaries using NANOGrav’s recent 12.5 yr data set. We created new methods to accurately model the uncertainties on pulsar distances in our analysis, and we implemented new techniques to account for a common red-noise process in pulsar timing array data sets while searching for deterministic gravitational wave signals, including continuous waves. As we found no evidence for continuous waves in our data, we placed 95% upper limits on the strain amplitude of continuous waves emitted by these sources. At our most sensitive frequency of 7.65 nHz, we placed a sky-averaged limit of h _0 < (6.82 ± 0.35) × 10 ^−15 , and h _0 < (2.66 ± 0.15) × 10 ^−15 in our most sensitive sky location. Finally, we placed a multimessenger limit of ${ \mathcal M }\lt (1.41\pm 0.02)\times {10}^{9}\,{M}_{\odot }$ on the chirp mass of the supermassive black hole binary candidate 3C 66B.
Keywords
