Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter Compact

Friday, 16 September 2022, 15:11   (SFG 1020 / virtual Compact)

Taking gravity tests with the Double Pulsar to the next level

Huanchen Hu, Michael Kramer, David Champion, Norbert Wex et al.
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie

The Double Pulsar, PSR J0737-3039A/B, has offered a wealth of gravitational experiments in the strong-field regime, for which GR has passed all with flying colors. Observations with MeerKAT and the future Square Kilometre Array (SKA) can greatly improve the accuracy of the current tests as well as the next-to-leading order (NLO) effects in the orbital motion and signal propagation. In this talk, I will present the new results based on 3-yr MeerKAT observations which provide an independent and improved measurement of the NLO signal propagation effects. These include the retardation effect due to the movement of the companion and the deflection of the signal by the gravitational field of the companion. Moreover, future observations with MeerKAT and the SKA will allow a measurement of neutron star moment of inertia and provide complementary constraints on the dense matter equation of state. Finally, I will show prospects with MeerKAT and the SKA based on simulations, such as potential measurements of lensing, frame-dragging, and NLO gravitational wave damping.