Kavli Affiliate: Qingjuan Yu
| First 5 Authors: Yunfeng Chen, Qingjuan Yu, Youjun Lu, ,
| Summary:
The gravitational waves (GWs) from supermassive binary black holes (BBHs) are
long sought by pulsar timing array experiments (PTAs), in the forms of both a
stochastic GW background (GWB) and individual sources. The evidence for a GWB
was reported recently by several PTAs with origins to be determined. Here we
use a BBH population synthesis model to investigate the detection probability
of individual BBHs by the Chinese PTA (CPTA) and the constraint on the GWB
origin that may be obtained by PTA observations of both GWB and individual
BBHs. If the detected GWB signal is entirely due to BBHs, a significantly
positive redshift evolution ($propto(1+z)^{2.07}$) of the mass scaling
relation between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies is required.
In this case, we find that the detection probability of individual BBHs is
$sim85%$ or 64% if using a period of 3.4-year CPTA observation data, with an
expectation of $sim1.9$ or 1.0 BBHs detectable with a signal-to-noise ratio
$geq3$ or $5$, and it is expected to increase to $>95%$ if extending the
observation period to $5$ years or longer. Even if the contribution from BBHs
to the GWB power signal is as small as $sim10%$, a positive detection of
individual BBHs can still be expected within an observation period of $sim10$
years. A non-detection of individual BBHs within several years from now jointly
with the detected GWB signal can put a strong constraint on the upper limit of
the BBH contribution to the GWB signal and help identify/falsify a cosmological
origin.
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