Recent Arecibo Timing of the Relativistic Binary PSR B1534+12

TL;DR

This paper provides an updated timing solution for the binary pulsar PSR B1534+12, improving measurements of relativistic parameters and using these to refine the pulsar's distance under general relativity assumptions.

Contribution

It offers a new timing analysis combining data from Jodrell Bank and Arecibo, enhancing the precision of post-Keplerian parameters and the pulsar distance estimation.

Findings

Improved measurements of orbital period derivative.

Refined pulsar distance assuming general relativity.

Enhanced constraints on relativistic effects in the binary system.

Abstract

We present a new timing solution for PSR B1534+12, based on coherently-dedispersed observations at Jodrell Bank and, recently, Arecibo. The new data have resulted in improved measurements of the post-Keplerian timing parameters, including the orbital period derivative. At present, the poorly-known distance to the pulsar limits the precision of the measurement of the intrinsic orbital period derivative, and hence the strength of the test of general relativity that results from this binary system. By assuming that general relativity is the correct theory of gravity, we may invert the test and find an improved value of the pulsar distance.