GW170817:爱因斯坦对了吗?

GW170817: was Einstein right?

来自双中子星并合的引力波事件GW170817和伴随的电磁波段的观测,是天文学研究上的一个重要突破。它不仅带给人类史无前例的关于中子星、伽马暴、千新星的知识,也提供了一个检验强场引力的极端天体实验室。爱因斯坦的广义相对论在不同的方面得到了全新的检验,包括引力的速度、引力子的质量、时空的对称性、引力波的辐射和偏振等。这些检验在更高的精度与更广的视角上肯定了广义相对论的预言。

The discovery of the binary neutron star inspiral GW170817 was one of the most important events in astronomy. It not only brought us unprecedented knowledge about neutron stars, gamma-ray bursts, kilonovae and the astrophysical environment, but also provided a novel testbed for strong-field gravity. Many distinct aspects o f Einstein's general relativity have been tested, including the speed of gravity, the mass of the graviton, the symmetry of spacetime, and the radiation and polarization modes o f gravitational waves. No deviation from general relativity has been found.