LAUSR

We have earlier proposed a fourth order gravity model as a possible explanation for late time cosmic acceleration, and for attened galaxy rotation curves. The model has a free length parameter whose value depends on the scale of the system under study (e.g. the whole Universe, a galaxy, or a compact binary pulsar). A second free parameter arising as a constant of integration is also xed using observational data. In the present work, we investigate the constraints imposed on the two free parameters of the model by binary pulsar data: periastron advance; and emission of gravitational waves and consequent period decay. For three dierent binary pulsar systems (PSR B1913+16, PSR J0737-3039, PSR J1518+4904) it is shown that for a suitable choice of parameters the model is consistent with the observations.