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New astronomical observations have provided additional evidence that validates one of the premises of the general theory of relativity, which dictates that all objects falling freely in a gravitational field are accelerated to the same , according to a work published in the journal Nature
The theory proposed by Albert Einstein in 1915 predicts that the acceleration must be the same regardless of the gravitational field itself of falling bodies, even though they are objects as massive as they are. a neutron star.
that Einstein reflected in his theory had previously been defended by scientists like Galileo in the sixteenth century, and various experiments have shown it in various environments.
In 1971, American astronaut David Scott played in one of the most famous manifestations, releasing a hammer and feather on the surface of the moon, which hit the ground at the same time.
To test this prediction in a more extreme environment, a group from the Dutch Institute of Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) led by Anne Archibald studied the movement of a triple star system, formed by a neutron star orbited by a white dwarf, which in turn maintains another white dwarf
Physicists have analyzed how the most distant star attraction affects the internal binary system, which also a powerful gravitational field.
The authors of the study published in Nature have calculated that the difference between the accelerations detected in the white dwarf and the neutron star is of the order of 2.6 millionths only, which supports the principle of equivalence postulated by general relativity.
Archibald's observations improve those obtained to date in the tests
"If the neutron star and the inner white dwarf fall with different accelerations from the outside to the dwarf white, a slight deformation will be felt in the orbit of the inner system, "he says. physicist Clifford Will, of the University of Florida, in a Nature article that accompanies the study of the Dutch group. 003] "Archibald and his colleagues provide an analysis based on nearly six years of data collection in which there is no evidence of this distortion," Will describes
Archibald's observations improve those obtained to date in similar tests, which have reached a resolution of thousandths. (ARCHIVER)
Theory of Relativity
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