Bayesian inference for pulsar timing models
  The extremely regular, periodic radio emission from millisecond pulsars makes
them useful tools for studying neutron star astrophysics, general relativity,
and low-frequency gravitational waves. These studies require that the observed
pulse times of arrival be fit to complex timing models that describe numerous
effects such as the astrometry of the source, the evolution of the pulsar's
spin, the presence of a binary companion, and the propagation of the pulses
through the interstellar medium. In this paper, we discuss the benefits of
using Bayesian inference to obtain pulsar timing solutions. These benefits
include the validation of linearized least-squares model fits when they are
correct, and the proper characterization of parameter uncertainties when they
are not; the incorporation of prior parameter information and of models of
correlated noise; and the Bayesian comparison of alternative timing models. We
describe our computational setup, which combines the timing models of Tempo2
with the nested-sampling integrator MultiNest. We compare the timing solutions
generated using Bayesian inference and linearized least-squares for three
pulsars: B1953+29, J2317+1439, and J1640+2224, which demonstrate a variety of
the benefits that we posit.
