Pulsars and Gravity
Richard N. Manchester
CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science Epping NSW Australia

Pulsars are extraordinarily good clocks, a property that has been exploited in a wide range of applications. Among the most important of these are exploring theories of gravitation and the quest for gravitational waves. Observations of binary pulsar systems have provided the most stringent tests of relativistic gravity in strong-field situations, confirming the accuracy of Einstein?'s general theory of relativity. Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) can in principle give a direct detection of nanohertz gravitational waves. Methods and results for the existing PTAs and the astrophysical implications of these results will be described. Current and future developments, including formation of an International PTA, new receiving systems for existing telescopes and new telescopes including the Square Kilometre Array, will be discussed.

Date:	Mardi, 17 juin 2014
Time:	16:00
Where:	McGill University
	Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, R.E. Bell Conference Room (room 103)
Contact:	Robert Rutledge