The international research team led by Prof. Michael Kramer of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) has been awarded the prestigious Frontiers of Science Award 2025 in the category Astrophysics and Cosmology – Theory.
Their groundbreaking study, “Strong-Field Gravity Tests with the Double Pulsar”, published in Physical Review X in 2021, presents the most precise tests to date of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity under extreme conditions. Using the unique double pulsar system PSR J0737–3039 A/B as a natural laboratory, the team measured multiple relativistic effects — including gravitational wave energy loss and time dilation — all of which matched Einstein’s predictions with unprecedented accuracy. The award was presented on 13 July 2025 during the International Congress of Basic Science (ICBS) in Beijing, China.
Read the full announcement from MPIfR
Image Marta Burgay (left) and Michael Kramer (right) receiving the 2025 Frontiers of Science Award on behalf of all the authors of the Kramer et al. (2021) Double Pulsar paper. © ICBS