Gravity seminar - Alberto Sesana Seminar

 

The detection of gravitational waves (GWs) is just around the corner (literally), opening a completely new window on the Universe. At nHz frequencies, pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) promise to detect the signal coming from the cosmological population of supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) within the next few years. After reviewing the astrophysics of SMBHBs, I will describe the current status of the PTA effort, present the most recent limits, and their astrophysical implications.