European Pulsar Timing Array

[citation needed] Keeping track of the TOAs of different MSPs over the sky allows for a high-precision timing experiment to detect gravitational waves.

[citation needed] This makes PTAs complementary to other GW detectors such as LIGO, VIRGO and LISA.

The EPTA is one component of a worldwide collaboration for detecting and measuring gravitational waves, the International Pulsar Timing Array, which also includes the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) and the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA).

The aim of this project is to coherently combine the five EPTA telescopes to synthesise the equivalent of a fully steerable 194-m dish.

[2] This will improve the accuracy with which the pulsar TOAs can be measured by an order of magnitude, essential for the first detection of gravitational waves within the next decade.