Hellings and Downs curve

noun

A graph of the expected correlation of timing effects on pulsars due to cosmological gravitational waves, as a function of angle of separation of the pulsars.

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Meanings

nounHellings and Downs curve (plural Hellings and Downs curves)

plural Hellings and Downs curves · alternative Hellings-Downs curve

  1. astronomyA graph of the expected correlation of timing effects on pulsars due to cosmological gravitational waves, as a function of angle of separation of the pulsars.

Origin

Named after R.W. Hellings and G.S. Downs, who first calculated it.

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Cite this entry
APA

Hellings and Downs curve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hellings%20and%20Downs%20curve

MLA

“Hellings and Downs curve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hellings%20and%20Downs%20curve. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hellings and Downs curve,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hellings%20and%20Downs%20curve.

Source: Hellings and Downs curve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.