Sara Manzini | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Parameter Estimation for Eccentric Supermassive Black Hole Binaries with Pulsar Timing Arrays

Pulsar timing array (PTA) experiments are searching for gravitational waves (GWs) in the nanohertz band. The primary GW sources targeted by PTAs include populations of inspiralling supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) in the local Universe, some of which may emit detectable continuous gravitational-wave (CGW) signals. In this paper, we focus on the detection strategy for individual binaries on eccentric orbits. Using simulated datasets based on the EPTA DR2new configuration, we perform injection-recovery studies across the parameter space. We demonstrate that individual component masses can be measured when an eccentric SMBHB is detected at high GW frequencies. We further show a correlation between the CGW signal and the stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) at low frequencies, which makes CGW identification challenging. Finally, the developed software is GPU-compatible, enabling efficient Bayesian inference. This work lays the groundwork for future applications to real PTA data.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Effective-one-body modelling of eccentric supermassive black hole binaries for Pulsar Timing Array

Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) observations will detect gravitational waves (GWs) from the early inspiral phase of supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) with orbital periods of weeks to years. Current PTA analyses generally assume circular binaries; however, dynamical interactions with the surrounding environment can prevent complete circularisation, allowing SMBHBs to retain appreciable eccentricities. In this work, we present a gravitational waveform model for eccentric binaries based on the Effective-One-Body (EOB) formalism, designed for continuous GW searches in PTA data. The model is accurate up to the second post-Newtonian (2PN) order for the conservative dynamics and up to post-leading order for the radiation-reaction terms. We provide both a numerically precise and a computationally efficient approximate implementation and evaluate the latter's accuracy against the full model over a broad range of eccentricities and initial orbital frequencies. Our results show that a substantial region of the parameter space exhibits pronounced orbital evolution, much stronger than in the circular case. We demonstrate the rich harmonic structure of timing residuals induced by eccentric GWs. Properly characterising eccentric binaries is an essential step toward detecting GWs in PTA data and interpreting the results, ultimately improving our understanding of the supermassive black hole population in the local Universe.

gr-qc↗