The Theoretical and Empirical Foundation of Relativity (Physics)

相对论的理论和经验基础（物理学）

• 批准号: 8705375
• 负责人: Mark Haugan
• 金额: $ 6.35万
• 依托单位: Purdue Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1987
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1987-07-01 至 1991-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8705375&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Theoretical; Empirical; Foundation; Relativity; Physics

Our understanding of gravitation, like all scientific knowledge, rests on a foundation of carefully interpreted experimental results. Adding to this base is a challenge for theorists and experimenters. The effects one must study and try to observe in order to distinguish between competing ideas and theories are subtle and minute. In this project possible effects of gravitation in a special binary star system and in atoms and nuclei are studied. Though vastly different settings, each offers the opportunity to learn something new about gravity. The binary pulsar PSR 1913+16 is a unique testing ground for relativistic gravity. The pulsar emits a steady stream of radio pulses as it orbits a companion star. Careful interpretation of the variation in the rate at which we receive these radio pulses will enable the reconstruction of the orbit and the testing of our ideas about gravity. The first evidence for the existence of gravitational radiation comes from the study of this system. This evidence grows stronger as more data accumulates. The idea that gravity is described by a geometrical structure of space and time is common to all metric theories of gravity. General relativity is such a theory. To test this most fundamental idea, Einstein's equivalence principle effects on atoms and nuclei which move through a gravitational field are studied.

像所有科学知识一样，我们对引力的理解建立在仔细解释实验结果的基础上。 增加这个基础对于理论家和实验者来说是一个挑战。 为了区分相互竞争的思想和理论，人们必须研究和尝试观察其影响是微妙而微小的。 在这个项目中，研究了特殊双星系统以及原子和原子核中引力的可能影响。 尽管设置截然不同，但每种设置都提供了学习有关重力的新知识的机会。 双脉冲星 PSR 1913+16 是相对论引力的独特试验场。 脉冲星绕伴星运行时会发出稳定的射电脉冲流。 仔细解释我们接收这些无线电脉冲的速率的变化将能够重建轨道并测试我们关于重力的想法。 引力辐射存在的第一个证据来自对该系统的研究。 随着更多数据的积累，这一证据变得更加有力。 引力是通过空间和时间的几何结构来描述的这一观点是所有引力度量理论所共有的。 广义相对论就是这样一个理论。 为了检验这个最基本的想法，研究了爱因斯坦等效原理对穿过引力场的原子和原子核的影响。