Related papers: Binary-pulsar tests of strong-field gravity and gr…

This talk reviews the constraints imposed by binary-pulsar data on gravity theories, and notably on "scalar-tensor" theories which are the most natural alternatives to general relativity. Because neutron stars have a strong gravitational…

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…

This talk is based on my work in collaboration with Thibault Damour. We compare the probing power of different classes of gravity experiments: solar-system tests (weak-field regime), binary-pulsar tests (strong-field regime), and future…

Binary systems comprising at least one neutron star contain strong gravitational field regions and thereby provide a testing ground for strong-field gravity. Two types of data can be used to test the law of gravity in compact binaries:…

Binary pulsars are a powerful tool for probing strong gravity that still outperforms direct gravitational wave observations in a number of directions due to the remarkable accuracy of the pulsar timing. They can constrain very precisely the…

Pulsars in close binary systems have provided some of the most stringent tests of strong-field gravity to date. The pulsar--white-dwarf binary system J1141-6545 is specifically interesting due to its gravitational asymmetry which makes it…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The discovery of the first pulsar in a binary star system, the Hulse--Taylor pulsar, 50 years ago opened up an entirely new field of experimental gravity. For the first time it was possible to investigate strong-field and radiative aspects…

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…

Pulsars in close binary orbit around another neutron star or a massive white dwarf make ideal laboratories for testing the predictions of gravitational radiation and self-gravitational effects. We report new timing measurements of the…

Pulsars of very different types - isolated objects, and binaries with short- and long-period orbits, white-dwarf and neutron-star companions - provide the means to test both the predictions of general relativity and the viability of…

General relativity (GR) has been extensively tested in the solar system and in binary pulsars, but never in the strong-field, dynamical regime. Soon, gravitational-wave (GW) detectors like Advanced LIGO and eLISA will be able to probe this…

Many physically motivated extensions to general relativity (GR) predict significant deviations in the properties of spacetime surrounding massive neutron stars. We report the measurement of a 2.01 +/- 0.04 solar mass pulsar in a 2.46-hr…

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…

The double pulsar system, PSR J0737-3039A/B, is unique in that both neutron stars are detectable as radio pulsars. This, combined with significantly higher mean orbital velocities and accelerations when compared to other binary pulsars,…

We review the general relativistic theory of the motion, and of the timing, of binary systems containing compact objects (neutron stars or black holes). Then we indicate the various ways one can use binary pulsar data to test the…

(abridged) We report the results of a 10-year timing campaign on PSR J1738+0333, a 5.85-ms pulsar in a low-eccentricity 8.5-hour orbit with a low-mass white dwarf companion (...) The measurements of proper motion and parallax allow for a…