Pulsars and Gravitational Waves
Pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars, emit perfectly timed radio pulses, making them "cosmic clocks" that can detect tiny disturbances in spacetime.
New research suggests that these tiny changes might let us "hear" a new kind of cosmic rhythm — the beats of gravitational waves.
These waves, with periods stretching from months to years, may come from titanic cosmic events.
In 2023, global collaborations, including NANOGrav and the European Pulsar Timing Array, announced strong evidence for ultra–low-frequency gravitational waves.
Astronomers may reveal the universe’s hidden gravitational beats through pulsars.
Author summary: Pulsars help detect gravitational waves.