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New view of FAST telescope: Millisecond pulsars and gravitational waves probes

  • ZHOU Yungang ,
  • WANG Dehua ,
  • ZHANG Chengmin ,
  • CUI Xianghan ,
  • WU Xinji ,
  • YANG Zhiyao ,
  • MA Shu
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  • 1. School of Physics and Electronic Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China;
    2. National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
    3. School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    4. Key Laboratory of FAST, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
    5. Department of Astronomy, Peking University, Beijing 100091, China

Received date: 2024-08-13

  Revised date: 2024-09-26

  Online published: 2025-04-11

Abstract

The discovery of millisecond pulsars has opened up a rich field for astrophysics. The FAST telescope plays an important role in the study of millisecond pulsars. This paper reviews the research progress of millisecond pulsars since their discovery 42 years ago, including their physical properties, formation and evolution, millisecond pulsar timing arrays and gravitational wave detection. The physical parameter distribution of millisecond pulsars is studied by statistical method, showing the unique properties of millisecond pulsars. In addition, this paper also introduces millisecond pulsars in globular clusters, which provides us with a new perspective on their evolution and helps to reveal the key process of pulsar evolution. With the advantages of FAST's high precision and high sensitivity, it is expected to discover new special types of pulsars and exotic objects from globular clusters in the future, e.g., double millisecond pulsar systems (MSP-MSP), millisecond pulsar-black hole systems (MSP-BH), and submillisecond pulsars, which will greatly enrich our analysis of neutron star types and characteristics. In addition, FAST will also play an important role in the detection of nanohertz gravitational waves, which will provide us with deeper insights into the universe and reveal more mysteries of the universe.

Cite this article

ZHOU Yungang , WANG Dehua , ZHANG Chengmin , CUI Xianghan , WU Xinji , YANG Zhiyao , MA Shu . New view of FAST telescope: Millisecond pulsars and gravitational waves probes[J]. Science & Technology Review, 2025 , 43(5) : 45 -54 . DOI: 10.3981/j.issn.1000-7857.2024.08.01001

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