General relativity is a fully conservative theory, but there exist other possible metric theories of gravity. We consider non-conservative ones with a parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN) parameter, $ζ_2$. A non-zero $ζ_2$ induces a self-acceleration for the center of mass of an eccentric binary pulsar system, which contributes to the second time derivative of the pulsar spin frequency, $\ddotν$. In our work, using the method in Will (1992), we provide an improved analysis with four well-timed, carefully-chosen binary pulsars. In addition, we extend Will's method and derive $ζ_2$'s effect on the third time derivative of the spin frequency, $\dddotν$. For PSR B1913+16, the constraint from $\dddotν$ is even tighter than that from $\ddotν$. We combine multiple pulsars with Bayesian inference, and obtain an upper limit, $\left|ζ_{2}\right|<1.3\times10^{-5}$ at 95% confidence level, assuming a flat prior in $\log_{10} \left| ζ_{2}\right|$. It improves the existing bound by a factor of three. Moreover, we propose an analytical timing formalism for $ζ_2$. Our simulated times of arrival with simplified assumptions show binary pulsars' capability in limiting $ζ_{2}$, and useful clues are extracted for real data analysis in future. In particular, we discover that for PSRs B1913+16 and J0737$-$3039A, $\dddotν$ can yield more constraining limits than $\ddotν$.
We parameterize the second post-Newtonian (2PN) metric for a gravitating system of fluids in the generalized harmonic gauge, and find that there are only three independent 2PN parameters (i.e. $ω$, $δ$ and $δ_2$) for satisfying some conservation laws including the conservations of energy, momentum, angular-momentum and the uniform motion of the center-of-mass.
We study the Kozai-Lidov mechanism in a hierarchical triple system in detail by the direct integration of the first-order post Newtonian equations of motion. We analyse a variety of models with a pulsar to evaluate the cumulative shift of the periastron time of a binary pulsar caused by the gravitational wave emission in a hierarchical triple system with Kozai-Lidov mechanism. We compare our results with those by the double-averaging method. The deviation in the eccentricity, even if small, is important in the evaluation of the emission of the gravitational waves. We also calculate the cumulat…
In the present paper, using the first-order approximation of the $n$-body Lagrangian (derived on the basis of the post-Newtonian gravitational theory of Einstein, Infeld, and Hoffman), we explicitly write down the equations of motion for the planar circular restricted three-body problem. Additionally, with some simplified assumptions, we obtain two formulas for estimating the values of the mass/distance and velocity/speed of light ratios appropriate for a given post-Newtonian approximation. We show that the formulas derived in the present study, lead to a good numerical conservation of the Jac…
The observation of a pulsar closely orbiting the galactic center supermassive black hole would open the window for an accurate determination of the black hole parameters and for new tests of General Relativity. An important relativistic effect which has to be taken into account in the timing model is the propagation delay of the pulses in the gravitational field of the black hole. Due to the extreme mass ratio of the pulsar and the supermassive back hole we use the test particle limit to derive an exact analytical formula for the propagation delay in a Schwarzschild spacetime. We then compare …
In recent work we constructed completely general conservation laws for energy and linear and angular momentum of extended systems in general relativity based on the notion of a rigid quasilocal frame (RQF). We argued at a fundamental level that these RQF conservation laws are superior to conservation laws based on the local stress-energy-momentum tensor of matter because (1) they do not rely on spacetime symmetries and (2) they properly account for both matter and gravitational effects. Moreover, they provide simple, exact, operational expressions for fluxes of gravitational energy and linear …
The post-Newtonian gravitoelectric secular rate of the mean anomaly M is worked out for a two-body system in the framework of the General Theory of Relativity. The possibility of using such an effect, which is different from the well known decrease of the orbital period due to gravitational wave emission, as a further post-Keplerian parameter in binary systems including one pulsar is examined. The resulting effect is almost three times larger than the periastron advance \dotω. E.g., for the recently discovered double pulsar system PSR J0737-3039 A+B it would amount to -47.79 deg yr^-1. This im…
The general form of the global conservation laws for $N$-body systems in the first post-Newtonian approximation of general relativity is considered. Our approach applies to the motion of an isolated system of $N$ arbitrarily composed and shaped, weakly self-gravitating, rotating, deformable bodies and uses a framework recently introduced by Damour, Soffel and Xu (DSX). We succeed in showing that seven of the first integrals of the system (total mass-energy, total dipole mass moment and total linear momentum) can be broken up into a sum of contributions which can be entirely expressed in terms …
We present a new approximation to include fully general relativistic pressure and velocity in Newtonian hydrodynamics. The energy conservation, momentum conservation and two Poisson's equations are consistently derived from Einstein's gravity in the zero-shear gauge assuming weak gravity and action-at-a-distance limit. The equations show proper special relativity limit in the absence of gravity. Our approximation is complementary to the post-Newtonian approximation and the equations are valid in fully nonlinear situations.
Three conceptually different masses appear in equations of motion for objects under gravity, namely, the inertial mass, $m_{\cal I}$, the passive gravitational mass, $m_{\cal P}$, and the active gravitational mass, $m_{\cal A}$. It is assumed that, for any objects, $m_{\cal I} = m_{\cal P} = m_{\cal A}$ in the Newtonian gravity, and $m_{\cal I} = m_{\cal P}$ in the Einsteinian gravity, oblivious to objects' sophisticated internal structure. Empirical examination of the equivalence probes deep into gravity theories. We study the possibility of carrying out new tests based on pulsar timing of th…
In this letter, we exploit the Damour-Deruelle solution to derive the analytical expression of the coordinate time in terms of the polar angle. This formula has advantageous applications in both pulsar timing and gravitational-wave theory.
We present a practical framework for ideal hyperelasticity in numerical relativity. For this purpose, we recast the formalism of Carter and Quintana as a set of Eulerian conservation laws in an arbitrary 3+1 split of spacetime. The resulting equations are presented as an extension of the standard Valencia formalism for a perfect fluid, with additional terms in the stress-energy tensor, plus a set of kinematic conservation laws that evolve a configuration gradient. We prove that the equations can be made symmetric hyperbolic by suitable constraint additions, at least in a neighbourhood of the u…
In this review we aim to describe the most stringent tests of the strong equivalence principle, the fundamental principle of General Relativity, using pulsar timing. For this purpose, we first construct the parametrized post-Newtonian and post-Keplerian formalism together with their parameters. Then we constrain the post-Newtonian parameters associated to the violation of the strong equivalence principle with the most stringent tests using pulsar timing techniques. We will in particular see that these bounds are the most constraining limits on a violation of the principle. Finally we will disc…
We consider a binary system composed of a pulsar and a massive, fast rotating, highly distorted main sequence star as a potential scenario to dynamically put to the test certain post-Keplerian effects of both Newtonian and post-Newtonian nature. We numerically produce time series of the perturbations $Δ\left(δτ\right)$ of the Rømer-like, orbital component of the pulsar's time delay $δτ$ induced over 10 years by the pN gravitoelectric mass monopole, quadrupole, gravitomagnetic spin dipole and octupole accelerations along with the Newtonian quadrupolar one. We do not deal with the various propag…
Symmetries play important roles in modern theories of physical laws. In this paper, we review several experimental tests of important symmetries associated with the gravitational interaction, including the universality of free fall for self-gravitating bodies, time-shift symmetry in the gravitational constant, local position invariance and local Lorentz invariance of gravity, and spacetime translational symmetries. Recent experimental explorations for post-Newtonian gravity are discussed, of which, those from pulsar astronomy are highlighted. All of these tests, of very different aspects of gr…
In the spirit of effective field theory, the Standard-Model Extension (SME) provides a comprehensive framework to systematically probe the possibility of Lorentz/CPT violation. In the pure gravity sector, operators with mass dimension larger than 4, while in general being advantageous to short-range experiments, are hard to investigate with systems of astronomical size. However, there is exception if the leading-order effects are CPT-violating and velocity-dependent. Here we study the lowest-order operators in the pure gravity sector that violate the CPT symmetry with carefully chosen relativi…
Timing a pulsar in a close orbit around the supermassive black hole SgrA* at the center of the Milky Way would open the window for an accurate determination of the black hole parameters and for new tests of General Relativity and alternative modified gravity theories. An important relativistic effect which has to be taken into account in the timing model is the propagation delay of the pulses in the gravitational field of the black hole. Due to the extreme mass ratio of the pulsar and the supermassive back hole we use the test particle limit to derive an exact analytical formula for the propag…
In this note, we compare two different definitions for the cosmological perturbation $ζ$ which is conserved on large scales, and study their non-conservation on small scales. We derive an equation for the time evolution of the curvature perturbation on a uniform density slice through a calculation solely in longitudinal (conformal-Newtonian) gauge. The result is concise and compatible with that obtained via local conservation of energy-momentum tensor.
A time varying space-time metric is shown to be a source of electromagnetic radiation. The post-Newtonian approximation is used as a realistic model of the connection between the space-time metric and a time varying gravitational potential. Large temporal variations in the metric from the coalescence of colliding black holes and neutron stars are shown to be possible progenitors of gamma ray burst and millisecond pulsars.
The post-Newtonian approximation is a method for solving Einstein's field equations for physical systems in which motions are slow compared to the speed of light and where gravitational fields are weak. Yet it has proven to be remarkably effective in describing certain strong-field, fast-motion systems, including binary pulsars containing dense neutron stars and binary black hole systems inspiraling toward a final merger. The reasons for this effectiveness are largely unknown. When carried to high orders in the post-Newtonian sequence, predictions for the gravitational-wave signal from inspira…
In this work we revisit the study of the gravitational interaction in the context of the Special Theory of Relativity. It is found that, as long as the equivalence principle is respected, a relativistic non-linear energy conservation theorem arises in a natural way. We interpret that this non-linear conservation law stresses the non-linear character of the gravitational interaction.The theorem reproduces the energy conservation theorem of Newtonian mechanics in the corresponding low energy limit, but also allows to derive some standard results of post-Newtonian gravity, such as the formula of …
A scalar bimetric theory of gravity with a preferred reference frame is summarized. Dynamics is governed by an extension of Newton's second law. In the static case, geodesic motion is recovered together with Newton's attraction field. In the static spherical case, Schwarzschild's metric is found. Asymptotic schemes of post-Newtonian (PN) and post-Minkowskian (PM) approximation are built, each based on associating a conceptual family of systems with the given system. At the 1PN approximation, there is no preferred-frame effect for photons, hence the standard predictions of GR for photons are go…
General relativity predicts that energy and momentum conservation laws hold and that preferred frames do not exist. The parametrised post-Newtonian formalism (PPN) phenomenologically quantifies possible deviations from general relativity. The PPN parameter alpha_3 (which identically vanishes in general relativity) plays a dual role in that it is associated both with a violation of the momentum conservation law, and with the existence of a preferred frame. By considering the effects of alpha_3 neq 0 in certain binary pulsar systems, it is shown that alpha_3 < 2.2 x 10^-20 (90% CL). This limit i…
CENTRA, Departamento de Física, Instituto Superior Técnico – IST Universidade de Lisboa – UL（里斯本大学高级技术学院物理系中心）；Departamento de Física Fundamental, Universidad de Salamanca（萨拉曼卡大学基础物理系）；Insituto Universitario de Física Fundamental y Matemáticas (IUFFyM), Universidad de Salamanca（萨拉曼卡大学基础物理与数学大学研究所）
Radio pulsars in short-period eccentric binary orbits can be used to study both gravitational dynamics and binary evolution. The binary system containing PSR J1141$-$6545 includes a massive white dwarf (WD) companion that formed before the gravitationally bound young radio pulsar. We observe a temporal evolution of the orbital inclination of this pulsar that we infer is caused by a combination of a Newtonian quadrupole moment and Lense-Thirring precession of the orbit resulting from rapid rotation of the WD. Lense-Thirring precession, an effect of relativistic frame-dragging, is a prediction o…
With Einstein's inertial motion (free-falling and non-rotating relative to gyroscopes), geodesics for non-relativistic particles can intersect repeatedly, allowing one to compute the space-time curvature $R^{\hat{0} \hat{0}}$ exactly. Einstein's $R^{\hat{0} \hat{0}}$ for strong gravitational fields and for relativistic source-matter is identical with the Newtonian expression for the relative radial acceleration of neighboring free-falling test-particles, spherically averaged.--- Einstein's field equations follow from Newtonian experiments, local Lorentz-covariance, and energy-momentum conserva…
Preferred frame effects (PFEs) are predicted by a number of alternative gravity theories which include vector or additional tensor fields, besides the canonical metric tensor. In the framework of parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism, we investigate PFEs in the orbital dynamics of binary pulsars, characterized by the two strong-field PPN parameters, α_1 and α_2. In the limit of a small orbital eccentricity, α_1 and α_2 contributions decouple. By utilizing recent radio timing results and optical observations of PSRs J1012+5307 and J1738+0333, we obtained the best limits of α_1 and α_2 in …
New tests are proposed to constrain possible deviations from local Lorentz invariance and local position invariance in the gravity sector. By using precise timing results of two binary pulsars, i.e., PSRs J1012+5307 and J1738+0333, we are able to constrain (strong-field) parametrized post-Newtonian parameters $\hatα_1$, $\hatα_2$, $\hatξ$ to high precision, among which, $|\hatξ| < 3.1\times10^{-4}$ (95% C.L.) is reported here for the first time.
General relativity asserts that: energy and momentum conservation laws are valid, preferred frames do not exist, and the strong equivalence principle is obeyed. In this paper recent progress in testing these important principles using millisecond pulsars is summarised.
Searching for an intermediate-range force has been considerable interests in gravity experiments. In this paper, aiming at a scalar-tensor theory with an intermediate-range force, we have derived the metric and equations of motion (EOMs) in the first post-Newtonian (1PN) approximation for general matter without specific equation of state and $N$ point masses firstly. Subsequently, the secular periastron precession $\dotω$ of binary pulsars in harmonic coordinates is given. After that, $\dotω$ of four binary pulsars data (PSR B1913+16, PSR B1534+12, PSR J0737-3039 and PSR B2127+11C) have been u…
Using a formulation of the post-Newtonian expansion in terms of Feynman graphs, we discuss how various tests of General Relativity (GR) can be translated into measurement of the three- and four-graviton vertices. In problems involving only the conservative dynamics of a system, a deviation of the three-graviton vertex from the GR prediction is equivalent, to lowest order, to the introduction of the parameter beta_{PPN} in the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism, and its strongest bound comes from lunar laser ranging, which measures it at the 0.02% level. Deviation of the three-graviton verte…
We analytically calculate some orbital effects induced by the Lorentz-invariance/momentum-conservation PPN parameter $α_3$ in a gravitationally bound binary system made of a compact primary orbited by a test particle. We neither restrict ourselves to any particular orbital configuration nor to specific orientations of the primary's spin axis $\boldsymbol{\hatψ}$. We use our results to put preliminary upper bounds on $α_3$ in the weak-field regime by using the latest data from Solar System's planetary dynamics. By linearly combining the supplementary perihelion precessions $Δ\dot\varpi$ of the …
Motivation is given for trying a theory of gravity with a preferred reference frame (``ether'' for short). One such theory is summarized, that is a scalar bimetric theory. Dynamics is governed by an extension of Newton's second law. In the static case, geodesic motion is recovered together with Newton's attraction field. In the static spherical case, Schwarzschild's metric is got. An asymptotic scheme of post-Minkowskian (PM) approximation is built by associating a conceptual family of systems with the given weakly-gravitating system. It is more general than the post-Newtonian scheme in that t…
We present Keplerian-type parametrization for the solution of third post-Newtonian (3PN) accurate equations of motion for two non-spinning compact objects moving in an eccentric orbit. The orbital elements of the parametrization are explicitly given in terms of the 3PN accurate conserved orbital energy and angular momentum in both Arnowitt, Deser, and Misner-type and harmonic coordinates. Our representation will be required to construct post-Newtonian accurate `ready to use' search templates for the detection of gravitational waves from compact binaries in inspiralling eccentric orbits. Due to…
We consider tidal coupling in a binary stellar system to first-post-Newtonian order. We derive the orbital equations of motion for bodies with spins and mass quadrupole moments and show that they conserve the total linear momentum of the binary. We note that spin-orbit coupling must be included in a 1PN treatment of tidal interactions in order to maintain consistency (except in the special case of adiabatically induced quadrupoles); inclusion of 1PN quadrupolar tidal effects while omitting spin effects would lead to a failure of momentum conservation for generic evolution of the quadrupoles. W…
We study a hierarchical triple system with the Kozai-Lidov mechanism, and analyse the cumulative shift of periastron time of a binary pulsar by the emission of gravitational waves. Time evolution of the osculating orbital elements of the triple system is calculated by directly integrating the first-order post-Newtonian equations of motion. The Kozai-Lidov mechanism will bend the evolution curve of the cumulative shift when the eccentricity becomes large. We also investigate the parameter range of mass and semi-major axis of the third companion with which the bending of the cumulative-shift cur…
Modified Newtonian dynamics by Milgrom is a paradigm for explaining the rotation curves of spiral galaxies and various other large scale structures. This paradigm includes several different theories. Here we present Milgrom's modified inertia (MI) theory in terms of a simple and tractable non-conservative Newtonian dynamics, which is useful in obtaining observable predictions of MI. It is found that: 1) Modified inertia theory is equivalent to a Newtonian theory, with a non-conservative gravitational field, and dark matter density; 2) The tidal force in the equivalent Newtonian dynamics is non…
We design a direct test of the local position invariance (LPI) in the post-Newtonian gravity, using the timing observation of the triple pulsar, PSR J0337+1715. The test takes advantage of the large gravitational acceleration exerted by the outer white dwarf to the inner neutron star -- white dwarf binary. Using machine-precision three-body simulations and dedicated Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques with various sampling strategies and noise realizations, we estimate that the Whitehead's parameter could have already been limited to $|ξ| \lesssim 0.4$ (95\% CL), with the published timi…
We demonstrate, both at the Newtonian and (general) relativistic levels, the existence of a generalization of Kelvin's circulation theorem (for pure fluids) which is applicable to perfect magnetohydrodynamics. The argument is based on the least action principle for magnetohydrodynamic flow. Examples of the new conservation law are furnished. The new theorem should be helpful in identifying new kinds of vortex phenomena distinct from magnetic ropes or fluid vortices.
We compute the dimensionless relativistic periastron advance parameter $k$, which is measurable from the timing of relativistic binary pulsars. We employ for the computation the recently derived Keplerian-type parametric solution to the post-Newtonian (PN) accurate conservative dynamics of spinning compact binaries moving in eccentric orbits. The parametric solution and hence the parameter $k$ are applicable for the cases of \emph{simple precession}, namely, case (i), the binary consists of equal mass compact objects, having two arbitrary spins, and case (ii), the binary consists of compact ob…
A new, field-theory-based framework for discussing and interpreting tests of gravity, notably at the second post-Newtonian (2PN) level, is introduced. Contrary to previous frameworks which attempted at parametrizing any conceivable deviation from general relativity, we focus on the best motivated class of models, in which gravity is mediated by a tensor field together with one or several scalar fields. The 2PN approximation of these "tensor-multi-scalar" theories is obtained thanks to a diagrammatic expansion which allows us to compute the Lagrangian describing the motion of N bodies. In contr…
Gravitational preferred frame effects are generally predicted by alternative theories that exhibit an isotropic violation of local Lorentz invariance of gravity. They are described by three parameters in the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism. One of their strong-field generalizations, $\hat α_2$, induces a precession of a pulsar's spin around its movement direction with respect to the preferred frame. We constrain $\hat α_2$ by using the non-detection of such a precession using the characteristics of the pulse profile. In our analysis we use a large number of observations from the 100-m Ef…
The equations of the linearized first post-Newtonian approximation to general relativity are often written in "gravitoelectromagnetic" Maxwell-like form, since that facilitates physical intuition. Damour, Soffel and Xu (DSX) (as a side issue in their complex but elegant papers on relativistic celestial mechanics) have expressed the first post-Newtonian approximation, including all nonlinearities, in Maxwell-like form. This paper summarizes that DSX Maxwell-like formalism (which is not easily extracted from their celestial mechanics papers), and then extends it to include the post-Newtonian (La…
On the basis of Lagrangian formalism of relativistic field theory post-Newtonian equations of motion for a rotating body are derived in the frame of Feynman's quantum field gravity theory (FGT) and compared with corresponding geodesic equations in general relativity (GR). It is shown that in FGT the trajectory of a rotating test body does not depend on a choice of a coordinate system. The equation of translational motion of a gyroscope is applied to description of laboratory experiments with free falling rotating bodies and rotating bodies on a balance scale. Post-Newtonian relativistic effect…
We present a non-canonically symplectic integration scheme tailored to numerically computing the post-Newtonian motion of a spinning black-hole binary. Using a splitting approach we combine the flows of orbital and spin contributions. In the context of the splitting, it is possible to integrate the individual terms of the spin-orbit and spin-spin Hamiltonians analytically, exploiting the special structure of the underlying equations of motion. The outcome is a symplectic, time-reversible integrator, which can be raised to arbitrary order by composition. A fourth-order version is shown to give …
We study the post-Newtonian expansion of a class of Lorentz-violating gravity theories that reduce to khronometric theory (i.e. the infrared limit of Horava gravity) in high-acceleration regimes, and reproduce the phenomenology of the modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) in the low-acceleration, non-relativistic limit. Like in khronometric theory, Lorentz symmetry is violated in these theories by introducing a dynamical scalar field (the "khronon") whose gradient is enforced to be timelike. As a result, hypersurfaces of constant khronon define a preferred foliation of the spacetime, and the khro…
Binary pulsars allow us to carry out precision tests of gravity and have placed stringent bounds on a broad class of theories beyond general relativity. Current and future radio telescopes, such as FAST, SKA, and MeerKAT, may find a new astrophysical system, a pulsar orbiting around a black hole, which will provide us a new source for probing gravity. In this paper, we systematically study the prospects of testing general relativity with such black hole-pulsar binaries. We begin by finding a mapping between generic non-Einsteinian parameters in the orbital decay rate and theoretical constants …
The pure-gravity sector of the minimal Standard-Model Extension is studied in the limit of Riemann spacetime. A method is developed to extract the modified Einstein field equations in the limit of small metric fluctuations about the Minkowski vacuum, while allowing for the dynamics of the 20 independent coefficients for Lorentz violation. The linearized effective equations are solved to obtain the post-newtonian metric. The corresponding post-newtonian behavior of a perfect fluid is studied and applied to the gravitating many-body system. Illustrative examples of the methodology are provided u…
We revisit the relativistic restricted two-body problem with spin employing a perturbation scheme based on Lie series. Starting from a post-Newtonian expansion of the field equations, we develop a first-order secular theory that reproduces well-known relativistic effects such as the precession of the pericentre and the Lense-Thirring and geodetic effects. Additionally, our theory takes into full account the complex interplay between the various relativistic effects, and provides a new explicit solution of the averaged equations of motion in terms of elliptic functions. Our analysis reveals the…
Inspiraling binary charged black holes in an external magnetic field: Application of post-Newtonian dynamics in Einstein-Maxwell theory
Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院上海天文台）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学）
A scalar theory of gravity with a preferred reference frame is presented. It is insisted on the dynamics, which involves a (non-trivial) extension of Newton's second law, and on the new version (v2) with isotropic space metric. We display the energy conservation equation obtained with v2. Then the principles of the asymptotic post-Newtonian approximation are discussed in some detail. The results of its application to the motion of a small extended body in a weakly-gravitating system are given and discussed: the weak equivalence principle was violated in v1, due to its anisotropic space metric …
