Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Experimental constraints on strong-field relativistic gravity

Abstract

Experiments in our Solar System can test relativistic gravity only in the weak-field limit, but systems containing pulsars necessarily involve the effects of strong-field gravity. Timing observations of three binary pulsars yield tight constraints on the nature of gravity in the strong-field regime, allowing the measurement of velocity-dependent and nonlinear phenomena separately from the effects of gravitational radiation. General relativity passes these new experimental tests with complete success.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Will, C.M. Theory and Experiment in Gravitational Physics (Cambridge University Press, 1981).

  2. Shapiro, I.I. in General Relativity and Gravitation, 1989 (eds Ashby, N., Bartlett, D.F. & Wyss, W.) 313–330 (Cambridge University Press, 1990).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  3. Taylor, J.H. Proc. IEEE 79, 1054–1062 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hulse, R.A. & Taylor, J.H. Astrophys. J. 195, L51–53 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wolszczan, A. Nature 350, 688–690 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Damour, T. & Taylor, J.H. Phys. Rev. D (in the press).

  7. Damour, T. & Schäfer, G. Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2549–2552 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Damour, T. & Esposito-Farèse, G. Class. Quant. Grav. (submitted).

  9. Taylor, J.H., Fowler, L.A. & McCulloch, P.M. Nature 277, 437–440 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Taylor, J.H. & Weisberg, J.M. Astrophys. J. 253, 908–920 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Weisberg, J.M. & Taylor, J.H. Phys. Rev. Lett. 52, 1348–1350 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Taylor, J.H. & Weisberg, J.M. Astrophys. J. 345, 434–450 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Damour, T. & Taylor, J.H. Astrophys. J. 366, 501–511 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Blandford, R. & Teukolsky, S.A. Astrophys. J. 205, 580–591 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Epstein, R. Astrophys. J. 216, 92–100 (1977); erratum Astrophys. J. 231, 644 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Haugan, M.P. Astrophys. J. 296, 1–12 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Damour, T. & Deruelle, N. Ann. Inst. H. Poincaré (Phys. théor.) 44, 263–292 (1986).

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  18. Damour, T. & Deruelle, N. Ann. Inst. H. Poincaré (Phys. théor.) 43, 107–132 (1985).

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  19. Shapiro, I.I. Phys. Rev. Lett. 13, 789–791 (1964).

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  20. Will, C.M. & Zaglauer, H.W. Astrophys. J. 346, 366–377 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Taylor, J.H. in General Relativity and Gravitation (ed. MacCallum, M.A.H.) 209–222 (Cambridge University Press, 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Rawley, L.A., Taylor, J.H. & Davis, M.M. Nature 319, 383–384 (1986).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Ryba, M.F. & Taylor, J.H. Astrophys. J. 371, 739–748 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Nordtvedt, K. Phys. Rev. 170, 1186–1187 (1968).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Taylor, J., Wolszzan, A., Damour, T. et al. Experimental constraints on strong-field relativistic gravity. Nature 355, 132–136 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/355132a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/355132a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing