PSR J0737-3039

PSR J0737 - 3039 is the first known Doppelpulsarsystem. It was founded in 2003 by a team ( led by Marta Burgay from the University of Bologna, Italy) detected with an Australian 64- meter radio telescope.

The object is similar to PSR 1913 16, discovered in 1974 by Taylor and Hulse and for its investigation, the two received the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics. Objects of this type allow accurate testing of Einstein's general theory of relativity, relativistic effects because a train change ( and thus a temporal change of the radio pulses ) of pulsars cause (see also Apsidendrehung ). Most of such well-known binary systems consist of a pulsar and a neutron star. J0737 - 3039 is the first case in which both components are pulsars.

The orbital period of J0737 - 3039 ( 2.4 hours ) is the smallest currently known for such an object ( a third of the orbital period of the Taylor - Hulse object ), making more precise measurements are possible. The pulses of the pulsar B, however, are to receive only about 20 minutes per round. 2005 was then confirmed that the measurements provide an excellent agreement between the predictions of general relativity theory and observation. In particular, the forecasts for the energy loss due to gravitational waves are consistent with the theory.

As a result of energy loss due to the gravitational shrink joint orbit at 7 mm per day, so that the two components collide with one another in approximately 85 million years ago.