PSR 0655+64: an Astrophysical Laboratory for Testing Relativistic Gravity Theories
Abstract
It is shown that the binary radio pulsar PSR 0655 + 64 is an effective astrophysical laboratory for testing gravity theories that violate the strong equivalence principle (SEP). It is suggested that PSR 0655 + 64 has the characteristics required for testing an aspect of SEP violation: the emission of dipole gravitational radiation. A rate of change of the binary period due to dipole gravitation radiation which is much larger than that resulting from quadrupole gravitational radiation is inferred from the fact that the companion of PSR 0655 + 64 is a white dwarf with a specific binding energy much smaller than that of the neutron star. The binary orbit is wide enough, implying a 'clean' system with no contribution to the change of the binary period due to mass transfer or tidal effects. At the same time, the binary period is sufficiently short to yield a high rate of emission of dipole gravitational radiation.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- May 1992
- DOI:
- 10.1086/171300
- Bibcode:
- 1992ApJ...390..494G
- Keywords:
-
- Binary Stars;
- Pulsars;
- Relativistic Theory;
- Stellar Gravitation;
- Astronomical Spectroscopy;
- Dipoles;
- Radiation Sources;
- Stellar Orbits;
- Astrophysics;
- GRAVITATION;
- RADIATION MECHANISMS: GRAVITATIONAL;
- RELATIVITY;
- STARS: BINARIES: SPECTROSCOPIC;
- STARS: NEUTRON;
- STARS: PULSARS: INDIVIDUAL ALPHANUMERIC: PSR 0655;
- 64