Lense-Thirring frame dragging induced by a fast-rotating white dwarf in a binary pulsar system
Abstract
Radio pulsars in short-period eccentric binary orbits can be used to study both gravitational dynamics and binary evolution. The binary system containing PSR J1141-6545 includes a massive white dwarf (WD) companion that formed before the gravitationally bound young radio pulsar. We observed a temporal evolution of the orbital inclination of this pulsar that we infer is caused by a combination of a Newtonian quadrupole moment and Lense-Thirring (LT) precession of the orbit resulting from rapid rotation of the WD. LT precession, an effect of relativistic frame dragging, is a prediction of general relativity. This detection is consistent with an evolutionary scenario in which the WD accreted matter from the pulsar progenitor, spinning up the WD to a period of <200 seconds.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- January 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.aax7007
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2001.11405
- Bibcode:
- 2020Sci...367..577V
- Keywords:
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- ASTRONOMY; PHYSICS;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
- E-Print:
- Accepted for publication in Science