The NANOGrav 15 yr Data Set: Evidence for a Gravitational-wave Background
Authors: Agazie Gabriella , Anumarlapudi Akash , Archibald Anne M. , Arzoumanian Zaven , Baker Paul T. , Bécsy Bence , Blecha Laura , Brazier Adam , Brook Paul R. , Burke-Spolaor Sarah , Burnette Rand , Case Robin , Charisi Maria , Chatterjee Shami , Chatziioannou Katerina , Cheeseboro Belinda D. , Chen Siyuan , Cohen Tyler , Cordes James M. , Cornish Neil J. , Crawford Fronefield , Cromartie H. Thankful , Crowter Kathryn , Cutler Curt J. , DeCesar Megan E. , DeGan Dallas , Demorest Paul B. , Deng Heling , Dolch Timothy , Drachler Brendan , Ellis Justin A. , Ferrara Elizabeth C. , Fiore William , Fonseca Emmanuel , Freedman Gabriel E. , Garver-Daniels Nate , Gentile Peter A. , Gersbach Kyle A. , Glaser Joseph , Good Deborah C. , Gültekin Kayhan , Hazboun Jeffrey S. , Hourihane Sophie , Islo Kristina , Jennings Ross J. , Johnson Aaron D. , Jones Megan L. , Kaiser Andrew R. , Kaplan David L. , Kelley Luke Zoltan , Kerr Matthew , Key Joey S. , Klein Tonia C. , Laal Nima , Lam Michael T. , Lamb William G. , W. Lazio T. Joseph , Lewandowska Natalia , Littenberg Tyson B. , Liu Tingting , Lommen Andrea , Lorimer Duncan R. , Luo Jing , Lynch Ryan S. , Ma Chung-Pei , Madison Dustin R. , Mattson Margaret A. , McEwen Alexander , McKee James W. , McLaughlin Maura A. , McMann Natasha , Meyers Bradley W. , Meyers Patrick M. , Mingarelli Chiara M. F. , Mitridate Andrea , Natarajan Priyamvada , Ng Cherry , Nice David J. , Ocker Stella Koch , Olum Ken D. , Pennucci Timothy T. , Perera Benetge B. P. , Petrov Polina , Pol Nihan S. , Radovan Henri A. , Ransom Scott M. , Ray Paul S. , Romano Joseph D. , Sardesai Shashwat C. , Schmiedekamp Ann , Schmiedekamp Carl , Schmitz Kai , Schult Levi , Shapiro-Albert Brent J. , Siemens Xavier , Simon Joseph , Siwek Magdalena S. , Stairs Ingrid H. , Stinebring Daniel R. , Stovall Kevin , Sun Jerry P. , Susobhanan Abhimanyu , Swiggum Joseph K. , Taylor Jacob , Taylor Stephen R. , Turner Jacob E. , Unal Caner , Vallisneri Michele , van Haasteren Rutger , Vigeland Sarah J. , Wahl Haley M. , Wang Qiaohong , Witt Caitlin A. , Young Olivia ,   The NANOGrav Collaboration
Published: June 2023

We report multiple lines of evidence for a stochastic signal that is correlated among 67 pulsars from the 15 yr pulsar timing data set collected by the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves. The correlations follow the Hellings–Downs pattern expected for a stochastic gravitational-wave background. The presence of such a gravitational-wave background with a power-law spectrum is favored over a model with only independent pulsar noises with a Bayes factor in excess of 1014, and this same model is favored over an uncorrelated common power-law spectrum model with Bayes factors of 200–1000, depending on spectral modeling choices. We have built a statistical background distribution for the latter Bayes factors using a method that removes interpulsar correlations from our data set, finding p = 10−3 (≈3σ) for the observed Bayes factors in the null no-correlation scenario. A frequentist test statistic built directly as a weighted sum of interpulsar correlations yields p = 5 × 10−5 to 1.9 × 10−4 (≈3.5σ–4σ). Assuming a fiducial f
−2/3 characteristic strain spectrum, as appropriate for an ensemble of binary supermassive black hole inspirals, the strain amplitude is

2.4

−
0.6

+
0.7

×

10

−
15

(median + 90% credible interval) at a reference frequency of 1 yr−1. The inferred gravitational-wave background amplitude and spectrum are consistent with astrophysical expectations for a signal from a population of supermassive black hole binaries, although more exotic cosmological and astrophysical sources cannot be excluded. The observation of Hellings–Downs correlations points to the gravitational-wave origin of this signal.