Rene Breton: "New test of gravity using eclipses in the double pulsar PSR J0737-3039A/B"

Rene Breton showed how he and collaborators have used the eclipses of pulsar A in the double pulsar system to perform a new test of gravity:

• Double pulsar system is observed almost edge on (i ~ 89 deg): eclipses of pulsar A by the magnetosphere of B.
• Eclipses last for ~30 seconds, no strong frequency dependence.
• Can see modulation during the eclipse at the spin rate of pulsar B.
• Synchrotron absorbtion in the magnetosphere of pulsar B.
• "rotating doughnut" model, very sensitive to the geometry of the system.
• Very good evidence for dipolar magnetic field.
• Kramer et al. 2006: measured 5 relativistic effects from pulsar timing (most precise test of GR in the strong-field regime)
• Breton et al. 2008 in Science: Eclipse profile changing with time: precession of pulsar B's spin axis measured: 4.77+0.66 deg/yr (consistent with GR prediction)

Some very nice movies showing this result are available here.