PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Newly discovered 3-star system could debunk Einstein's theory of General Relativity

2014-01-06
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Ingrid Stairs
stairs@astro.ubc.ca
University of British Columbia
Newly discovered 3-star system could debunk Einstein's theory of General Relativity A newly discovered system of two white dwarf stars and a superdense pulsar--all packed within a space smaller than the Earth's orbit around the sun -- is enabling astronomers to probe a range of cosmic mysteries, including the very nature of gravity itself.

The international team, which includes UBC astronomer Ingrid Stairs, reports their findings in the journal Nature on January 5.

Originally uncovered by an American graduate student using the National Science Foundation's Green Bank Telescope, the pulsar – 4,200 light-years from Earth, spinning nearly 366 times per second – was found to be in close orbit with a white dwarf star and the pair is in orbit with another, more distant white dwarf.

The three-body system is scientists' best opportunity yet to discover a violation of a key concept in Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity: the strong equivalence principle, which states that the effect of gravity on a body does not depend on the nature or internal structure of that body.

"By doing very high-precision timing of the pulses coming from the pulsar, we can test for such a deviation from the strong equivalence principle at a sensitivity several orders of magnitude greater than ever before available," says Stairs, with UBC's Department of Physics and Astronomy. "Finding a deviation from the strong equivalence principle would indicate a breakdown of General Relativity and would point us toward a new, revised theory of gravity."

"This is the first millisecond pulsar found in such a system, and we immediately recognized that it provides us a tremendous opportunity to study the effects and nature of gravity," says Scott Ransom of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), who led the study. "This triple system gives us a natural cosmic laboratory far better than anything found before for learning exactly how such three-body systems work and potentially for detecting problems with General Relativity that physicists expect to see under extreme conditions."

Background

When a massive star explodes as a supernova and its remains collapse into a superdense neutron star, some of its mass is converted into gravitational binding energy that holds the dense star together. The strong equivalence principle says that this binding energy will still react gravitationally as if it were mass. Virtually all alternatives to General Relativity hold that it will not.

Under the strong equivalence principle, the gravitational effect of the outer white dwarf would be identical for both the inner white dwarf and the neutron star. If the strong equivalence principle is invalid under the conditions in this system, the outer star's gravitational effect on the inner white dwarf and the neutron star would be slightly different and the high-precision pulsar timing observations could easily show that.

"We have made some of the most accurate measurements of masses in astrophysics," says Anne Archibald of the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy and one of the authors of the study. "Some of our measurements of the relative positions of the stars in the system are accurate to hundreds of meters." Archibald led the effort to use the measurements to build a computer simulation of the system that can predict its motions.

The NRAO's Scott Ransom adds: "This is a fascinating system in many ways, including what must have been a completely crazy formation history, and we have much work to do to fully understand it."

### The scientists' observational program used the National Science Foundation's Green Bank Telescope, the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico, and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope in the Netherlands. They also studied the system using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the GALEX satellite, the WIYN telescope on Kitt Peak, Arizona, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Supernova's super dust factory imaged with ALMA

2014-01-06
Supernova's super dust factory imaged with ALMA Galaxies can be remarkably dusty places and supernovas are thought to be a primary source of that dust, especially in the early Universe. Direct evidence of a supernova's dust-making capabilities, however, has ...

1 'villain' of the housing crisis played only a small role

2014-01-06
1 'villain' of the housing crisis played only a small role Mortgage defaults still high after predatory lenders forced out COLUMBUS, Ohio -- One of the major factors blamed for the subprime mortgage crisis may have actually played only a minor role in the housing meltdown, ...

Marriage promotion has failed to stem poverty among single moms

2014-01-06
Marriage promotion has failed to stem poverty among single moms On 50th anniversary of War on Poverty, expert says new approach needed COLUMBUS, Ohio – As the United States marks the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty this month, a new report suggests one ...

Researchers find that computer components can be damaged by key manufacturing processes

2014-01-06
Researchers find that computer components can be damaged by key manufacturing processes Manufacturers of increasingly minute computer chips, transistors and other products will have to take special note of research findings at the University of Huddersfield. The ...

New discovery of biomarker to improve diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of ESCC

2014-01-06
New discovery of biomarker to improve diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of ESCC Latest study by NUS researchers first to demonstrate that editing of protein-making sequences promotes development of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Esophageal Squamous Cell ...

Technology 1 step ahead of war laws

2014-01-06
Technology 1 step ahead of war laws Los Angeles, London (January 06, 2013). Today's emerging military technologies—including unmanned aerial vehicles, directed-energy weapons, lethal autonomous robots, and cyber weapons like Stuxnet—raise the prospect of upheavals ...

The loving touch is critical for premature infants

2014-01-06
The loving touch is critical for premature infants Philadelphia, PA, January 6, 2014 – The benefit that premature infants gain from skin-to-skin contact with their mothers is measurable even 10 years after birth, reports a new study in Biological Psychiatry. Physical ...

CWRU researcher finds released inmates need programs to meet basic and mental health needs

2014-01-06
CWRU researcher finds released inmates need programs to meet basic and mental health needs When inmates with severe mental illness are released from jail, their priority is finding shelter, food, money and clothes. Even needs as basic as soap and a ...

Suicide risk doesn't differ in children taking 2 types of commonly prescribed antidepressants

2014-01-06
Suicide risk doesn't differ in children taking 2 types of commonly prescribed antidepressants A Vanderbilt University Medical Center study released today shows there is no evidence that the risk of suicide differs with two commonly prescribed ...

Laying money on the line leads to healthier food choices over time

2014-01-06
Laying money on the line leads to healthier food choices over time People are more likely to choose healthy options at the grocery store if they use the risk of losing their monthly healthy food discount as a motivational tool, according ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

“Quantum squeezing” a nanoscale particle for the first time

El Niño spurs extreme daily rain events despite drier monsoons in India

Two studies explore the genomic diversity of deadly mosquito vectors

Zebra finches categorize their vocal calls by meaning

Analysis challenges conventional wisdom about partisan support for US science funding

New model can accurately predict a forest’s future

‘Like talking on the telephone’: Quantum computing engineers get atoms chatting long distance

Genomic evolution of major malaria-transmitting mosquito species uncovered

Overcoming the barriers of hydrogen storage with a low-temperature hydrogen battery

Tuberculosis vulnerability of people with HIV: a viral protein implicated

Partnership with Kenya's Turkana community helps scientists discover genes involved in adaptation to desert living

Decoding the selfish gene, from evolutionary cheaters to disease control

Major review highlights latest evidence on real-time test for blood – clotting in childbirth emergencies

Inspired by bacteria’s defense strategies

Research spotlight: Combination therapy shows promise for overcoming treatment resistance in glioblastoma

University of Houston co-leads $25 million NIH-funded grant to study the delay of nearsightedness in children

NRG Oncology PREDICT-RT study completes patient accrual, tests individualized concurrent therapy and radiation for high-risk prostate cancer

Taking aim at nearsightedness in kids before it’s diagnosed

With no prior training, dogs can infer how similar types of toys work, even when they don’t look alike

Three deadliest risk factors of a common liver disease identified in new study

Dogs can extend word meanings to new objects based on function, not appearance

Palaeontology: South American amber deposit ‘abuzz’ with ancient insects

Oral microbes linked to increased risk of pancreatic cancer

Soccer heading does most damage to brain area critical for cognition

US faces rising death toll from wildfire smoke, study finds

Scenario projections of COVID-19 burden in the US, 2024-2025

Disparities by race and ethnicity in percutaneous coronary intervention

Glioblastoma cells “unstick” from their neighbors to become more deadly

Oral bacterial and fungal microbiome and subsequent risk for pancreatic cancer

New light on toxicity of Bluefin tuna

[Press-News.org] Newly discovered 3-star system could debunk Einstein's theory of General Relativity