Studying the solar system with the International Pulsar Timing Array
2018
Pulsar-timing analyses are sensitive to errors in the
solar-systemephemerides (SSEs) that timing models utilise to estimate the location of the
solar-systembarycentre, the quasi-inertial reference frame to which all recorded pulse
times-of-
arrivalare referred. Any error in the SSE will affect all
pulsars, therefore
pulsar timing arrays(PTAs) are a suitable tool to search for such errors and impose independent constraints on relevant physical parameters. We employ the first data release of the
International Pulsar Timing Arrayto constrain the masses of the planet-moons systems and to search for possible unmodelled objects (UMOs) in the
solar system. We employ ten SSEs from two independent research groups, derive and compare mass constraints of
planetary systems, and derive the first PTA mass constraints on
asteroid-beltobjects. Constraints on
planetary-systemmasses have been improved by factors of up to 20 from the previous relevant study using the same assumptions, with the mass of the
Joviansystem measured at 9.5479189(3)$\times10^{-4}$ $M_{\odot}$. The mass of the
dwarf planetCeres is measured at 4.7(4)$\times10^{-10}$ $M_{\odot}$. We also present the first sensitivity curves using real data that place generic limits on the masses of UMOs, which can also be used as upper limits on the mass of putative exotic objects. For example, upper limits on dark-matter clumps are comparable to published limits using independent methods. While the constraints on
planetary massesderived with all employed SSEs are consistent, we note and discuss differences in the associated timing residuals and UMO sensitivity curves.
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