Einstein's theory of general relativity has passed his most difficult test

According to a new study, Einstein's theory of relativity has passed its toughest test to date with overwhelming results, after scientists prove that the Gravity works as they expect it. In 1916, Einstein proposed his theory of general relativity. The theory explains that gravity is the result of the inherent flexibility of space-time, which means that huge objects deform the cosmic tissue, creating a kind of well around which other bodies rotate.

Like all other scientific theories, general relativity also makes predictions that can be tested. One of the most significant of them is the "principle of equivalence" – the explanation that all objects fall in the same way, regardless of their size: small or large and how they are made.

On Earth, many researchers have certified the principle of equivalence – and even on the moon. The proof that can prove it is this: in 1971, Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time, both objects hit gray lunar dirt at the same time but s & rsquo; They drop these two objects on Earth, of course, the feather will reach the ground much later compared to the hammer because it will be retained by the atmosphere.

However, it is difficult to determine whether the principle of equivalence applies in all situations – when the objects that are used are supremely heavy or giant, just as this room of maneuver has given expectations to the supports of many other gravitational theories, although these types of people remain in the minority.

This new study could take some air out of their confidence. The point of equivalence has been tested by an international team of astronomers, in many extreme conditions: including a system consisting of two high-density stellar cadavers, known as white dwarfs and tested on a neutron star. [19659003] The neutron star is a fast rotating type star known as the pulsar. These exotic objects seem to emit radiation in regular pulses, which is why they are named so. But this is only an observer effect, however, from their poles, pulsars constantly emit radiation, but the instruments used by astronomers can only capture these beams when they are directed to the Earth. And like the spin of the pulsar, they are able to direct their poles to Earth at regular intervals.

The system in question, known as PSR J0337 + 1715, is at 4,200 light-years from Earth, in the direction of the constellation Taurus. The pulsar, co-orbiting inside with one of the white dwarfs and it turns 366 times per second, every 1.6 days of Earth, this pair of pulsar and white dwarf circles a center of common mass. This pair is in a 327-day orbit with another white dwarf and is at a long distance.

The pulsar fills nearly 1.4 times the mass of the sun in a sphere as large as Amsterdam, while the white dwarf inside packs only 0.2 solar mass and is the same size as the Earth. These two objects are different from each other but if they are drawn by the outer white dwarf in the same way only then the principle of equivalence will come into play.

The movements of the pulsars are followed by the researchers keeping an eye on its radio broadcasts. For six years they observe them with the help of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope in the Netherlands, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia

"We can explain every pulse from neutron star since we started our observations, "said in a statement Anne Archibald, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam and at the Netherlands Radio Astronomy Institute." And we can say its location a few hundred meters. This is a very accurate track of where the neutron star has been and where it is going. "

A violation of the principle of equivalence would establish as a deformation in the orbit of the pulsar – which is a difference between the neutron star's path and the white dwarf in its interior. Because of this distortion, the pulsar's radiations would arrive at a somewhat different time than the one supposed.

Yet, the researchers did not discover or detect any kind of distortion.

"S there has a difference, it does not exceed three parts on a million ", co-author Nina Gusinskaia, PhD student at the University of Amsterdam said in the same statement

" Now, no matter which with an alternative theory of gravity has an even narrower range of possibilities that their theory needs to integrate to match what we have seen, "Gusinskaia added." In addition, we improved the accuracy of the previous best test of gravity , both in the system solar and with other pulsars, from a factor of about 10. "