\n<\/strong><\/p>\nThe researchers also measured, with a precision of 1 part in a million, that the orbit changes its orientation. This relativistic effect is also well-known from the orbit of Mercury, but here it is 140,000 times stronger. As a result, they realised that at this level of precision they also need to consider the impact of the pulsar\u2019s rotation on the surrounding spacetime, which is dragged along with the spinning pulsar.<\/p>\n
Precision tracking of the rotations of the neutron star<\/h3>\n Dr Norbert Wex from the MPIfR, another main author of the study, said: \u201cPhysicists call this the Lense-Thirring effect or frame-dragging. In our experiment it means that we need to consider the internal structure of a pulsar as a neutron star. Hence, our measurements allow us for the first time to use the precision tracking of the rotations of the neutron star, a technique that we call pulsar timing to provide constraints on the extension of a neutron star.\u201d<\/p>\n
The technique of pulsar timing was combined with careful interferometric measurements of the system to determine its distance with high resolution imaging, resulting in a value of 2400 light years with only an 8% error margin. Team member Prof Adam Deller, from Swinburne University in Australia, who was responsible for this part of the experiment, said: \u201cIt is the combination of different complementary observing techniques that adds to the extreme value of the experiment. In the past similar studies were often hampered by the limited knowledge of the distance of such systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, this is not the case here, as in addition to pulsar timing and interferometry, the information gained from the effects of the interstellar medium were also carefully considered. Professor Bill Coles from the University of California San Diego agreed: \u201cWe gathered all possible information on the system and we derived a perfectly consistent picture, involving physics from many different areas, such as nuclear physics, gravity, interstellar medium, plasma physics and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have reached a level of precision that is unprecedented. Future experiments with even bigger telescopes can and will go still further,\u201d Prof Kramer added. \u201cOur work has shown the way such experiments need to be conducted and which subtle effects now need to be taken into account. And, maybe, we will find a deviation from general relativity one day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An international research team have conducted a 16-year long experiment with the aim to challenge Einstein\u2019s theory of general relativity. A research team from the University of East Anglia and the University of Manchester have collaboratively utilised seven radio telescopes across the globe to investigate a pair of extreme stars called pulsars. They used them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":16482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24429],"tags":[818,821,3477],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Researchers challenge Einstein\u2019s relativity theory using extreme stars<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n