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Strong-Field Tests of Gravity Using Pulsars and Black Holes

M. Kramer·D. C. Backer·J. M. Cordes·T. J. W. Lazio·B. W. Stappers·S. Johnston
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Abstract

The sensitivity of the SKA enables a number of tests of theories of gravity. A Galactic Census of pulsars will discover most of the active pulsars in the Galaxy beamed toward us. In this census will almost certainly be pulsar-black hole binaries as well as pulsars orbiting the super-massive black hole in the Galactic centre. These systems are unique in their capability to probe the ultra-strong field limit of relativistic gravity. These measurements can be used to test the Cosmic Censorship Conjecture and the No-Hair theorem. The large number of millisecond pulsars discovered with the SKA will also provide a dense array of precision clocks on the sky. These clocks will act as the multiple arms of a huge gravitational wave detector, which can be used to detect and measure the stochastic cosmological gravitational wave background that is expected from a number of sources.

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M. Kramer, D. C. Backer, J. M. Cordes, T. J. W. Lazio, B. W. Stappers, S. Johnston. 2004-09-15. Strong-Field Tests of Gravity Using Pulsars and Black Holes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newar.2004.09.020

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