Pulsar timing and spacetime curvature

Authors

Teviet Creighton
F. A. JenetFollow
Richard H. Price

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-10-2009

Abstract

We analyze the effect of weak field gravitational waves on the timing of pulsars, with particular attention to gauge invariance, that is, to the effects that are independent of the choice of coordinates. We find (1) the Doppler shift cannot be separated into gauge invariant gravitational wave and kinetic contributions; (2) a gauge invariant separation can be made for the time derivative of the Doppler shift in which the gravitational wave contribution is directly related to the Riemann tensor, and the kinetic contribution is that for special relativity; (3) the gaugedependent effects in the Doppler shift play no role in the program of gravitational wave detection via pulsar timing. The direct connection shown between pulsar timing and the Riemann tensor of the gravitational waves will be of importance in discussions of gravitational waves from alternative (non-Einsteinian) theories of gravitation.

Comments

© Astrophysical Journal. Original version available at: http://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/693/2/1113

Recommended Citation

Teviet Creighton, et. al., (2009) Pulsar timing and spacetime curvature.Astrophysical Journal693:21113. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/693/2/1113

First Page

1113

Last Page

1117

Publication Title

Astrophysical Journal

DOI

10.1088/0004-637X/693/2/1113