RUI: Studies of Gravitation, the Interstellar Medium, and Pulsars

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RUI: Studies of Gravitation, the Interstellar Medium, and Pulsars. Dr. Weisberg will continue investigations in three areas. (1) Studies of relativistic gravitation with the first binary pulsar: Continued observations of this pulsar will be used for investigation of gravitational radiation emission, geodetic spin precession, the constancy of G, and constraints on alternatives to general relativity. (2) Measurements and analyses of pulsar distances and the interstellar medium; 21-cm--pulsar absorption spectra will be measured. These data will be used to study pulsar distances and the neutral hydrogen and free electron distribution and density in the Galaxy. (3) A pulsar polarimetry and timing survey: Polarization and timing measurements will be made on 120 pulsars at three-month intervals at the Arecibo Observatory. The output of these observations will be used for studies of pulsar emission mechanisms, pulse morphology, glitches, timing noise, and precession; and, via Faraday rotation measurements, investigations of the galactic magnetic field. This award is made under the Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) activity at the NSF.