By studying the shrinking orbit of a pair of recently discovered white dwarf stars, astronomers have found further evidence that Einstein's theory of general relativity is correct.
The theory predicts that massive, accelerating objects like the two closely orbiting white dwarfs should emit gravitational waves — ripples in space-time that have never been detected directly. This release of energy, in turn, would cause the dwarfs' orbit to decay at a rate of around 0.26 milliseconds a year. James Hermes of the University of Texas at Austin and his colleagues used four telescopes to observe the dwarfs over 13 months. Their observations confirm that this is indeed roughly the rate at which the dwarfs are moving closer together.
Additional data would be needed to detect an orbital decay that deviates significantly from the rate predicted by general relativity, the team adds.
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Stellar duo tests Einstein's theory. Nature 489, 338 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/489338b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/489338b
