Archival Multiband Gravitational-Wave Signals from Massive Black Hole Binary Mergers

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Criswell, Alexander W., Taylor, Stephen R., Pardo, Kris, Sesana, Alberto, Izquierdo, David, Bonoli, Silvia, Spinoso, Daniele
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Criswell, Alexander W.
Taylor, Stephen R.
Pardo, Kris
Sesana, Alberto
Izquierdo, David
Bonoli, Silvia
Spinoso, Daniele
author_facet Criswell, Alexander W.
Taylor, Stephen R.
Pardo, Kris
Sesana, Alberto
Izquierdo, David
Bonoli, Silvia
Spinoso, Daniele
contents While massive black hole binaries (MBHBs) merge at gravitational-wave frequencies above the pulsar timing array (PTA) sensitivity band, we show that they leave orphaned low-frequency contributions in the PTA pulsar term. Due to the light-propagation time between each pulsar in the array and Earth, the pulsar term acts as a time-delayed probe of a chirping merger with a specific frequency response determined by the direction of origin and intrinsic properties of the MBHB. We provide a detailed consideration of how such a multiband signal would manifest in a full PTA, demonstrate an approach to stack these orphaned pulsar terms across the array, and discuss prospects for an archival, multiband search in conjunction with MBHB mergers observed in astrometric data or spaceborne interferometers like LISA.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_21013
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Archival Multiband Gravitational-Wave Signals from Massive Black Hole Binary Mergers
Criswell, Alexander W.
Taylor, Stephen R.
Pardo, Kris
Sesana, Alberto
Izquierdo, David
Bonoli, Silvia
Spinoso, Daniele
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
While massive black hole binaries (MBHBs) merge at gravitational-wave frequencies above the pulsar timing array (PTA) sensitivity band, we show that they leave orphaned low-frequency contributions in the PTA pulsar term. Due to the light-propagation time between each pulsar in the array and Earth, the pulsar term acts as a time-delayed probe of a chirping merger with a specific frequency response determined by the direction of origin and intrinsic properties of the MBHB. We provide a detailed consideration of how such a multiband signal would manifest in a full PTA, demonstrate an approach to stack these orphaned pulsar terms across the array, and discuss prospects for an archival, multiband search in conjunction with MBHB mergers observed in astrometric data or spaceborne interferometers like LISA.
title Archival Multiband Gravitational-Wave Signals from Massive Black Hole Binary Mergers
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.21013