On the contribution of a stochastic background of gravitational radiation to the timing noise of pulsars

Abstract

The influence of a stochastic and isotropic background of gravitational radiation on timing measurements of pulsars is investigated, and it is shown that pulsar timing noise may be used to establish a significant upper limit of about 10 to the -10th on the total energy density of very long-wavelength stochastic gravitational waves. This places restriction on the strength of very long wavelength gravitational waves in the Friedmann model, and such a background is expected to have no significant effect on the approximately 3 K electromagnetic background radiation or on the dynamics of a cluster of galaxies.