Parkes observations for project P865 semester 2014APRS

In this pilot observing programme, we propose to observe at high cadence the transient gravitational-wave and radio-wave Universe. The goals of these observations are threefold: 1) To improve the timing precision of secondary pulsars in the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) to accelerate the detection of gravitational waves; 2) To characterise the gravitational wave universe in the hitherto unexplored microhertz frequency band; and 3) To develop methods and search for fast radio bursts (FRBs) while conducting precision time experiments. To achieve these goals, we request 120 hours of observations with the Parkes multibeam system, divided into 10 epochs comprising 12-hour LST days.

This pilot project acts as a feasibility study for modifications to both the PPTA project and the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA), the consortium coordinating timing array observations in Australia, Europe, and North America, and assess the feasibility of searching for fast radio bursts while conduction precision timing observations.

本试点观测计划拟以高采样频率对瞬态引力波与射电波段宇宙开展观测。本次观测的目标共三项：
1）提升帕克斯脉冲星计时阵列（Parkes Pulsar Timing Array, PPTA）中次级脉冲星的计时精度，以加速引力波的探测进程；
2）在迄今尚未被探索的微赫兹频段内，对引力波宇宙进行特性表征；
3）在开展高精度计时实验的同时，研发相关方法并搜寻快速射电暴（Fast Radio Bursts, FRBs）。
为达成上述目标，我们申请使用帕克斯多波束系统开展总时长120小时的观测任务，观测分为10个观测时段，每个时段对应12小时的LST时长。

本试点项目将作为针对PPTA与国际脉冲星计时阵列（International Pulsar Timing Array, IPTA）两项计划的改进可行性研究——IPTA是协调澳大利亚、欧洲及北美地区计时阵列观测的国际合作组织——同时评估在开展高精度计时观测的同时搜寻快速射电暴的可行性。