On the possibility of testing the weak equivalence principle with artificial Earth satellites

DOI10.1023/B:GERG.0000010481.56652.5EzbMATH Open1044.83505arXivgr-qc/0309105MaRDI QIDQ1424869FDOQ1424869

Authors: L. Iorio 

Publication date: 15 March 2004

Published in: General Relativity and Gravitation (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: In this paper we examine the possibility of testing the equivalence principle, in its weak form, by analyzing the orbital motion of a pair of artificial satellites of different composition moving along orbits of identical shape and size in the gravitational field of Earth. It turns out that the obtainable level of accuracy is, realistically, of the order of 10^-10 or slightly better. It is limited mainly by the fact that, due to the unavoidable orbital injection errors, it would not be possible to insert the satellites in orbits with exactly the same radius and that such difference could be known only with a finite precision. The present-day level of accuracy, obtained with torsion balance Earth-based measurements and the analysis of Earth-Moon motion in the gravitational field of Sun with the Lunar Laser Ranging technique, is of the order of 10^-13. The proposed space-based missions STEP, muSCOPE, GG and SEE aim to reach a 10^-15-10^-18 precision level.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0309105

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zbMATH Keywords

earthgravityorbitsEquivalence principle

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Equations of motion in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C10) Observational and experimental questions in relativity and gravitational theory (83B05)

Cited In (8)

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• In-orbit calibration approach of the MICROSCOPE experiment for the test of the equivalence principle at 10  ¹⁵
• `Galileo Galilei' (GG) small-satellite project: an alternative to the torsion balance for testing the equivalence principle on Earth and in space
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• A weak equivalence principle test on a suborbital rocket
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• A quick test of the WEP enabled by a sounding rocket
• Limitations to testing the equivalence principle with satellite laser ranging

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