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Astrophysics

Testing time for gravity

Nature volume 426, pages 504–505 (2003)Cite this article

The discovery of two neutron stars tightly orbiting each other suggests that the rate of neutron-star mergers in the Universe is higher than had been thought — which is good news for seekers of gravitational waves.

The emission of gravitational waves by accelerated masses — such as two compact stars orbiting each other — is predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. In 1993 Taylor and Hulse earned the Nobel prize for their precise measurement of the rate of orbital decay of the binary pulsar PSR B1913+16 by the emission of gravitational waves1. The measured orbital decay of this binary pulsar, and of two further double neutron stars with somewhat wider orbits, is exactly in accordance with the prediction of Einstein's theory and provides very strong — albeit indirect — evidence for the existence of gravitational waves.

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  1. Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek and the Centre for High Energy Astrophysics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1098SJ, The Netherlands

    E. P. J. van den Heuvel

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  1. E. P. J. van den Heuvel
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Correspondence to E. P. J. van den Heuvel.

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van den Heuvel, E. Testing time for gravity. Nature 426, 504–505 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/426504a

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