Speaker
Prof.
Michael KRAMER
(Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie)
Description
The radio sky is a fascinating laboratory for a very wide range
of physics. The laws of nature can be probed at a fundamental
level, in particular when observing the most extreme matter in
the observable universe - neutron stars. When they are visible
as radio pulsars they can act as cosmic clocks that become
especially interesting if they have a binary companion. Indeed,
binary pulsars provide indispensable laboratories for precision tests of gravity. Effects that can be studied in great detail include the emission of
gravitational waves, Shapiro delay, orbital precession and more. But
also fundamental differences between general relativity and
alternative theories of gravity can be probed, such as possible
violations of the strong equivalence principle, preferred frame
effects or the existence of gravitational dipole radiation or scalar
fields. Also the effects of spin precession in strongly
self-gravitating bodies can be studied by observing effects of
geodetic precession. These and an other tests, and the comparison
with other methods, will be discussed.
Primary author
Prof.
Michael KRAMER
(Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie)
