Testing theories of gravitation using 21-year timing of pulsar binary J1713+0747

Zhu, W. W. and Stairs, I. H. and Demorest, P. B. and Nice, D. J. and Ellis, J. A. and Ransom, S. M. and Arzoumanian, Z. and Crowter, K. and Dolch, T. and Ferdman, R. D. and Fonseca, E. and Gonzalez, M. E. and Jones, G. and Jones, M. L. and Lam, M. T. and Levin, L. and McLaughlin, M. A. and Pennucci, Timothy Thomas and Stovall, K. and Swiggum, J. (2015) Testing theories of gravitation using 21-year timing of pulsar binary J1713+0747. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 809 (1). ISSN 1538-4357

Preview

Text 1504.00662.pdf Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (976kB) | Preview

Abstract

We report 21-year timing of one of the most precise pulsars: PSR J1713+0747. Its pulse times of arrival are well modeled by a comprehensive pulsar binary model including its three-dimensional orbit and a noise model that incorporates short- and long-timescale correlated noise such as jitter and red noise. Its timing residuals have weighted root mean square ∼92 ns. The new data set allows us to update and improve previous measurements of the system properties, including the masses of the neutron star (1.31 ± 0.11 Mo) and the companion white dwarf (0.286 ± 0.012 Mo) as well as their parallax distance 1.15 ± 0.03 kpc. We measured the intrinsic change in orbital period, , is -0.20 ± 0.17 ps s-1, which is not distinguishable from zero. This result, combined with the measured of other pulsars, can place a generic limit on potential changes in the gravitational constant G. We found that is consistent with zero [(-0.6 ± 1.1) × 10-12 yr-1, 95% confidence] and changes at least a factor of 31 (99.7% confidence) more slowly than the average expansion rate of the universe. This is the best limit from pulsar binary systems. The of pulsar binaries can also place limits on the putative coupling constant for dipole gravitational radiation (95% confidence). Finally, the nearly circular orbit of this pulsar binary allows us to constrain statistically the strong-field post-Newtonian parameters Δ, which describes the violation of strong equivalence principle, and , which describes a breaking of both Lorentz invariance in gravitation and conservation of momentum. We found, at 95% confidence, and based on PSR J1713+0747. © 2015. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..

Actions (login required)

Edit Item