Measuring general relativistic dragging effects in the Earth's gravitational field with ELXIS: a proposal

DOI10.1088/1361-6382/AAF6D4MaRDI QIDQ3383583zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Publication date 24 September 2021

Published in Classical and Quantum Gravity (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.06119

experimental tests of gravitational theories satellite orbits harmonics of the gravity potential field experimental studies of gravity

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Einstein-Maxwell equations (83C22) Orbital mechanics (70M20) Variable mass, rockets (70P05) Observational and experimental questions in relativity and gravitational theory (83B05)

Abstract: In a geocentric kinematically rotating ecliptical coordinate system in geodesic motion through the deformed spacetime of the Sun, both the longitude of the ascending node

O m e g a

and the inclination

I

of an artificial satellite of the spinning Earth are affected by the post-Newtonian gravitoelectric De Sitter and gravitomagnetic Lense-Thirring effects. By choosing a circular orbit with

I = O m e g a = 90 d e g

for a potential new spacecraft, which we propose to name ELXIS, it would be possible to measure each of the gravitomagnetic precessions separately at a percent level, or, perhaps, even better depending on the level of accuracy of the current and future global ocean tide models since the competing classical long-term perturbations on

I, O m e g a

due to the even and odd zonal harmonics

J_{e} l l, e l l = 2, 3, 4, l d o t s

of the geopotential vanish. Moreover, a suitable linear combination of

I, O m e g a

would be able to cancel out the solid and ocean tidal perturbations induced by the

K_{1}

tide and, at the same time, enforce the geodetic precessions yielding a secular trend of

- 8.3 e x t r m m i l l i a r c s e c o n d s p e r y e a r

, thus strengthening the goal of a

s i m e q 1 0^{- 5}

test of the De Sitter effect recently proposed in the literature in the case of an equatorial coordinate system. Relatively mild departures

D e l t a I = D e l t a O m e g a s i m e q 0.01 - 0.1 d e g

from the ideal orbital configuration with

I = O m e g a = 90 d e g

are allowed. [Abridged]

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