Using Radio Pulsars to Probe Gravity, Dark Matter, and Stellar Populations in the Galactic Center

该奖项将支持一项观测计划，以发现和描述银河系中心的恒星。 脉冲星是快速旋转的中子星，通常最好在无线电波长处检测到，因为它们从周期性扫过地球的光束发射中发出规则的脉动。 该项目的目标不是研究射电星或它们的射电辐射，而是利用射电星作为银河系中心引力场的探测器。 这个小组已经在银河系中心区域探测到了几颗射电望远镜，现在希望进行仔细的调查，以发现更多的射电望远镜。如果在银河系中心的大质量黑洞附近发现一颗或多颗射电望远镜，长期的位置和时间研究可以提供有价值的广义相对论检验，并可以探测到中央星星团中光学不可见成员的存在。 该项目将受益于研究生的参与和教育。 该小组还将与由NSF资助的脉冲星搜索合作实验室合作，该实验室汇集了西弗吉尼亚地区的脉冲星研究人员和高中/本科生。

This award will support an observational program to discover and characterize pulsars toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars, which are usually best detected at radio wavelengths because they emit regular pulsations from beamed emission that periodically sweeps across the Earth. The goal of the project is not to study pulsars or their radio emission, but rather to use pulsars as probes of the gravitational field in the galactic center. This group has already detected several radio pulsars in the galactic center region, and now wishes to undertake a careful survey to find more.In the event that one or more can be found in physical proximity to the massive black hole at the galactic center, long-term positional and timing studies can provide valuable tests of general relativity and can detect the presence of optically invisible members of the central star cluster. The project will benefit from the participation and education of graduate students. This group will also work with the Pulsar Search Collaboratory, funded by NSF, which brings together pulsar researchers and high school/undergraduate students in the West Virginia area.