Testing Gravity with Pulsars in the SKA Era

TL;DR

The paper discusses how the SKA will enable advanced tests of gravitational theories using pulsars, including discovering new systems and probing deviations from general relativity with unprecedented precision.

Contribution

It highlights the potential of SKA to discover relativistic pulsar systems and improve gravitational tests beyond current capabilities.

Findings

Discovery of dozens of relativistic pulsar systems expected.

Potential detection of pulsar-black hole binaries for fundamental tests.

Enhanced timing precision enabling tests of deviations from GR.

Abstract

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will use pulsars to enable precise measurements of strong gravity effects in pulsar systems, which yield tests of gravitational theories that cannot be carried out anywhere else. The Galactic census of pulsars will discover dozens of relativistic pulsar systems, possibly including pulsar -- black hole binaries which can be used to test the "cosmic censorship conjecture" and the "no-hair theorem". Also, the SKA's remarkable sensitivity will vastly improve the timing precision of millisecond pulsars, allowing probes of potential deviations from general relativity (GR). Aspects of gravitation to be explored include tests of strong equivalence principles, gravitational dipole radiation, extra field components of gravitation, gravitomagnetism, and spacetime symmetries.