Pulsars, and in particular millisecond pulsars (MSPs), are the Galaxy's best clocks and are thus an excellent tool for studying anything that causes deviations in the rate at which they run; binary motion, motion across the sky and any non-linear variations in the distance and/or spacetime metric between the pulsar and the telescope, such as the passage of a gravity wave. By making precision timing observations of an array of such pulsars distributed on the sky, we can investigate the stability of terrestrial clocks and improve our understanding of Solar-system dynamics. We also have the exciting possibility of making the first detection of gravity waves.

To achieve the objectives of the timing array project we need to observe a large number of MSPs (about 20) as often as possible for about four years. This is why we decided to set up a large collaborative effort, that goes under the anme of EPTA (European Pulsar Timing Array) involving all the largest single dish radio telescopes in Europe: Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope, UK; Nancay Radio Telescope, FR; Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope, NL; Effelsberg Radio Telescope, D and, when available, the new Sardinia Radio Telescope, IT.

The PhD student working on EPTA data will be responsible for searching for new pulsars and performing precision multitelescope pulsar timing of specific targets of the EPTA observations. The purpose is to obtain new measures e.g. of pulsar proper motions and parallaxes to better establish the millisecond pulsar velocity, distance and luminosity distributions. The student will also study binary systems to better determine the range of neutron star masses and measure strong-field gravity effects. The final aim of the collaborative project will be the combination of the data from all the observatories in order to establish a pulsar timing array. This array will ultimately allow to test the presence of a gravitational wave background at a gravitational wave frequency not achievable by any other conceivable experiment.