Gravitational Radiation from Compact Binary Pulsars

TL;DR

This paper reviews how observations of compact binary millisecond pulsars with white-dwarf companions test the limits of general relativity and alternative gravity theories in strong-field regimes, advancing our understanding of gravitational radiation.

Contribution

It highlights recent observational and theoretical advances that improve mass measurements and constrain gravitational theories using pulsar timing data.

Findings

Precise mass measurements of pulsar-white dwarf systems.

Stringent constraints on gravitational radiation properties.

Enhanced understanding of white dwarf interiors.

Abstract

An outstanding question in modern Physics is whether general relativity (GR) is a complete description of gravity among bodies at macroscopic scales. Currently, the best experiments supporting this hypothesis are based on high-precision timing of radio pulsars. This chapter reviews recent advances in the field with a focus on compact binary millisecond pulsars with white-dwarf (WD) companions. These systems - if modeled properly - provide an unparalleled test ground for physically motivated alternatives to GR that deviate significantly in the strong-field regime. Recent improvements in observational techniques and advances in our understanding of WD interiors have enabled a series of precise mass measurements in such systems. These masses, combined with high-precision radio timing of the pulsars, result to stringent constraints on the radiative properties of gravity, qualitatively very different from what was available in the past.