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

DOI10.1088/1361-6382/AAF6D4zbMATH Open1475.83016arXiv1809.06119OpenAlexW3102864030WikidataQ128811705 ScholiaQ128811705MaRDI QIDQ3383583FDOQ3383583

Authors: L. Iorio 

Publication date: 24 September 2021

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

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 $Omega$ 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 $I=Omega=90deg$ 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 $I,Omega$ due to the even and odd zonal harmonics $J_{e}ll,ell=2,3,4,ldots$ of the geopotential vanish. Moreover, a suitable linear combination of $I,Omega$ 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 $-8.3extrmmilliarcsecondsperyear$, thus strengthening the goal of a $simeq10^{-5}$ test of the De Sitter effect recently proposed in the literature in the case of an equatorial coordinate system. Relatively mild departures $DeltaI=DeltaOmegasimeq0.01-0.1deg$ from the ideal orbital configuration with $I=Omega=90deg$ are allowed. [Abridged]

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

Recommendations

• On the possibility of measuring the Lense–Thirring effect with a LAGEOS–LAGEOS II–OPTIS mission
• On a new observable for measuring the Lense-Thirring effect with satellite laser ranging
• Test of Lense - Thirring orbital shift due to spin
• The impact of the new Earth gravity models on the measurement of the Lense--Thirring effect
• On the impossibility of using the longitude of the ascending node of GP-B for measuring the Lense-Thirring effect.

zbMATH Keywords

experimental tests of gravitational theoriessatellite orbitsharmonics of the gravity potential fieldexperimental 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)

Cites Work

• Solar System Dynamics
• Relativistic Celestial Mechanics of the Solar System
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Gyros, clocks, interferometers. . . : testing relativistic gravity in space
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Gravity: Newtonian, post-Newtonian, relativistic
• Phenomenology of the lense-thirring effect in the solar system
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Relativistic tests with lunar laser ranging
• Earth tides and Lense-Thirring effect
• General relativity and John Archibald Wheeler
• Effects of the terrestrial infrared radiation pressure on the motion of an artificial satellite

Cited In (4)

• On the equivalence between rotation and gravity: ``gravitational and ``cosmological redshifts in the laboratory
• Gravitational perturbations on local experiments in a satellite: The dragging of inertial frame in the HYPER project
• Corridendum: Measuring general relativistic dragging effects in the Earth’s gravitational field with ELXIS: a proposal (2019 Class. Quantum Grav . 36 035002)
• Supplemental satellites and lunisolar precession

This page was built for publication: Measuring general relativistic dragging effects in the Earth's gravitational field with ELXIS: a proposal

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q3383583)