After 98 years, Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity passes another test

More evidence has been provided by a pair of stars orbiting each other nearly 7,000 light years from Earth that Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity is correct.

Bursts of energy were measured by astronomers from a neutron star which is being orbited by a white dwarf star.

The gravity created by the neutron star, created a wrinkle in the fabric of space time in a way predicted by Einstein in his famous general relativity theory in 1915.

The neutron star is only 12 miles across but weighs twice as much as the sun.

The neutron star has a gravity which is 300 billion times stronger than that felt on the surface of the earth.

Explosion of about 1cm^3 of matters of neutron star on earth could result in a debris of a billion tonnes of matter.

It was expected that as the white dwarf – a glowing remnant of another dead star – orbits the neutron star, they should create wrinkles that move out in space time known as gravitational waves.

“We thought this system might be extreme enough to show a breakdown in general relativity, but instead, Einstein’s prediction held up quite well,” said Dr. Paulo Freire, from the Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy in Germany.

Researchers have been trying to find the limit to the theory of general relativity.

They think the theory is right, but may be in incomplete.

Physicists believe it cannot explain all of the effects seen in the universe as it is not compatible with quantum theory.

The quantum theory is used to explain the forces that hold atoms and subatomic particles together.

The findings despite not proving Einstein wrong have raised hopes that researchers might be able to directly detect gravitational waves.

“Our radio observations were so precise that we have already been able to measure a change in the orbital period of 8 millionths of a second per year, exactly what Einstein predicts,” he concluded.

[Culled from The Telegraph]

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