Measurement of Gravitational Spin-Orbit Coupling in a Binary-Pulsar System
Abstract
In relativistic gravity, a spinning pulsar will precess as it orbits a compact companion star. We have measured the effect of such precession on the average shape and polarization of the radiation from PSR B1534+12. We have also detected, with limited precision, special-relativistic aberration of the revolving pulsar beam due to orbital motion. Our observations fix the system geometry, including the misalignment between the spin and orbital angular momenta, and yield a measurement of the precession time scale consistent with the predictions of general relativity.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- September 2004
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.141101
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0408457
- Bibcode:
- 2004PhRvL..93n1101S
- Keywords:
-
- 04.80.Cc;
- 95.85.Bh;
- 97.60.Gb;
- 97.80.Fk;
- Experimental tests of gravitational theories;
- Radio microwave;
- Pulsars;
- Spectroscopic binaries;
- close binaries;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 4 pages, accepted to PRL. Version with high-resolution figure 2 available at http://www.astro.ubc.ca/people/stairs/papers/sta04b.ps.gz