Measurement of gravitational spin-orbit coupling in a binary pulsar system

Abstract

In relativistic gravity, a spinning pulsar will precess as it orbits a compact companion star. We have measured the effect of such precession on the average shape and polarization of the radiation from PSR B1534+12. We have also detected, with limited precision, special-relativistic aberration of the revolving pulsar beam due to orbital motion. Our observations fix the system geometry, including the misalignment between the spin and orbital angular momenta, and yield a measurement of the precession timescale consistent with the predictions of General Relativity.

4 pages, accepted to PRL. Version with high-resolution figure 2 available at http://www.astro.ubc.ca/people/stairs/papers/sta04b.ps.gz