Related papers: Probing Massive Scalar Fields from a Pulsar in a S…
The strong equivalence principle is a cornerstone of general relativity, tested with exquisite accuracy in the Solar system. However, tests in the strong-field regime require a compact object. Currently, PSR J0337+1715 is the unique…
Precision tests of general relativity can be conducted by observing binary pulsars. Theories with massive fields exist to explain a variety of phenomena from dark energy to the strong CP problem. Existing pulsar binaries, such as the white…
Some recently discovered nonperturbative strong-field effects in tensor-scalar theories of gravitation are interpreted as a scalar analog of ferromagnetism: "spontaneous scalarization". This phenomenon leads to very significant deviations…
Benefitting from the unequaled precision of the pulsar timing technique, binary pulsars are important testbeds of gravity theories, providing some of the tightest bounds on alternative theories of gravity. One class of well-motivated…
This talk reviews the constraints imposed by binary-pulsar data on gravity theories, focusing on ``tensor-scalar'' ones which are the best motivated alternatives to general relativity. We recall that binary-pulsar tests are qualitatively…
Tests of gravity are important to the development of our understanding of gravitation and spacetime. Binary pulsars provide a superb playground for testing gravity theories. In this chapter we pedagogically review the basics behind pulsar…
Over the last few years, a set of new results from pulsar timing has introduced much tighter constraints on violations of the strong equivalence principle (SEP), either via a direct verification of the universality of free fall for a pulsar…
Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity, has passed stringent tests in laboratories, elsewhere in the Solar Sytem, and in pulsar binaries. Nevertheless it is known to be incompatible with quantum mechanics and must differ from the…
In general, modified gravity theories are modifications or extensions of Einstein's general relativity. Some of them give rise to additional scalar degrees of freedom in Nature. If these scalar fields exist and are light enough, they should…
The best motivated alternatives to general relativity are scalar-tensor theories, in which the gravitational interaction is mediated by one or several scalar fields together with the usual graviton. The analysis of their various…
In this review we aim to describe the most stringent tests of the strong equivalence principle, the fundamental principle of General Relativity, using pulsar timing. For this purpose, we first construct the parametrized post-Newtonian and…
This talk is based on my work in collaboration with Thibault Damour since 1991. Unified theories, like superstrings, predict the existence of scalar partners to the graviton. Such theories of gravity can be very close to general relativity…
Three conceptually different masses appear in equations of motion for objects under gravity, namely, the inertial mass, $m_{\cal I}$, the passive gravitational mass, $m_{\cal P}$, and the active gravitational mass, $m_{\cal A}$. It is…
Continued observations of the Double Pulsar, PSR J0737-3039A/B, consisting of two radio pulsars (A and B) that orbit each other with a period of 2.45hr in a mildly eccentric (e=0.088) binary system, have led to large improvements in the…
Scalar fields with inverse power-law effective potentials may provide a negative pressure component to the energy density of the universe today, as required by cosmological observations. In order to be cosmologically relevant today, the…
Binary pulsars provide some of the tightest current constraints on modified theories of gravity and these constraints will only get tighter as radio astronomers continue timing these systems. These binary pulsars are particularly good at…
Gravitationally bound three-body systems have been studied for hundreds of years and are common in our Galaxy. They show complex orbital interactions, which can constrain the compositions, masses, and interior structures of the bodies and…
The gravitational strong equivalence principle (SEP) is a cornerstone of the general theory of relativity (GR). The extreme difference in binding energy between neutron stars and white dwarfs allows for precision tests of the SEP via the…
We show that, as a result of non-linear self-interactions, it is feasible, at least in light of the bounds coming from terrestrial tests of gravity, measurements of the Casimir force and those constraints imposed by the physics of compact…
Since last two decades $f(R)$ gravity theory has been extensively used as a serious alternative of general relativity to mimic the effects of dark energy. The theory presents a Yukawa correction to Newtonian gravitational potential, acting…