General Relativity support from the double pulsar

Abstract

After the final publication of the Theory of General Relativity by Albert Einstein in 1916, experimental confirmation rested on three astronomical tests. These were the amount of bending of starlight at the edge of the Sun, the change in frequency of light emanating from the gravitational field of the Sun and an explanation in terms of the theory of a remnant quantity in the perihelion advance of Mercury which had been calculated previously. The field of activity then was sparse and Quantum Mechanics attracted many scientists to its realm. However, a proliferation of renewed interest emerged 50 years on from 1916 with new thinking, improved instrumentation, the advent of spacecraft and the discovery of a number of exotic objects. The previous tests had been within the solar system. Now, there could be a transition from a weak to strong gravitational field testing. Neutron stars and pulsars were proposed based on ideas inherent within Einstein’s conjecture as explanations for otherwise mysterious radio signals. In 2003, the advent of a two pulsars in mutual orbit allowed astrophysicists to delve into more precise tests of Einstein’s theory. One of the parameters measured with this double pulsar has agreed with General Relativity to the 0.05% level. Three others are different from predictions by 1.4, 0.68 and 5.5%. Testing of these other parameters over a longer period of time promises to distinguish the accuracy between Einstein’s ideas and concepts from other scientists. Key words: General Relativity, neutron star, pulsar, double pulsar.