2005•AIP conference proceedingsRequires access
The Double Pulsar System J0737-3039: News and Views
M. Burgay
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Abstract
The double‐pulsar system J0737‐3039 is the most intriguing pulsar discovery of last decade. This binary system, with an orbital period of only 2.4‐hr, provides a truly unique laboratory for relativistic gravitational physics. Its discovery enhances of about an order of magnitude the estimate of the merger rate of double neutron stars systems, opening new possibilities for the current generation of gravitational wave detectors. The high orbital inclination, moreover, offers the opportunity of using the radio beams from one pulsar as a probe for studying the magnetosphere of the other. In this contribution we summarize the present results and look at the prospects of future observations.