Einstein’s Gravity as Seen by a Cosmic Lighthouse Keeper

Abstract

The last years have seen continuing activities in the exploration of our understanding of gravity, motivated by results from precision cosmology and new precision astrophysical experiments. At the centre of attention lies the question as to whether general relativity is the correct theory of gravity. In answering this question, we work not only towards correctly interpreting the phenomenon of “dark energy” but also towards the goal of achieving a quantum theory of gravity. In these efforts, the observations of pulsars, especially those in binary systems, play an important role. Pulsars do not only provide the only evidence for the existence of gravitational waves so far, but they also provide precision tests of general relativity and alternative theories of gravity. This talk summarizes the current state-of-art in these experiments and looks into the future.