CELESTIAL OPTICAL INTERFEROMETRY: A NEW TOOL FOR ULTRAHIGH PRECISION STUDIES IN GRAVITY

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 617-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. UNNIKRISHNAN ◽  
G. T. GILLIES
Keyword(s):  
Gravitational Waves ◽  
Equivalence Principle ◽  
Gravitational Constant ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Artificial Satellites ◽  
Length Scale ◽  
The Moon ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Tremendous Progress ◽  
Laser Sources

The tremendous progress in the science and technology of timing devices and laser sources has reached a stage where their stability and coherence are sufficient for implementing unbalanced interferometers over a length scale exceeding the Earth–Moon distance. This opens up the possibility of optical homodyne interferometry over such distances, either to the Moon or to artificial satellites that are at large distances from the Earth. The precision of the measurement of changes in the orbital distance would increase by a factor of 104 or more, enabling new ultrahigh precision tests of the equivalence principle, study of gravitomagnetism, and of subtle gravitational phenomena, including the constancy of the gravitational constant and possible gravitational expansion of space. It would enable geodesy and tide studies with unprecedented precision. Such interferometers would also be useful for the detection and study of low frequency gravitational waves.

Automated Determination of the Position of Ships by Satellites

1967 ◽  
Vol 20 (03) ◽  
pp. 281-285
Author(s):  
H. C. Freiesleben
Keyword(s):  
Celestial Body ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Artificial Satellites ◽  
Radio Waves ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Position Determination ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Navigational Aids ◽  
Automated Determination

It has recently been suggested that 24-hour satellites might be used as navigational aids. To what category of position determination aids should these be assigned ? Is a satellite of this kind as it were a landmark, because, at least in theory, it remains fixed over the same point on the Earth's surface, in which case it should be classified under land-based navigation aids ? Is it a celestial body, although only one tenth as far from the Earth as the Moon ? If so, it is an astronomical navigation aid. Or is it a radio aid ? After all, its use for position determination depends on radio waves. In this paper I shall favour this last view. For automation is most feasible when an object of observation can be manipulated. This is easiest with radio aids, but it is, of course, impossible with natural stars.At present artificial satellites have the advantage over all other radio aids of world-wide coverage.

Foreshock ULF fluctuations near the Moon: THEMIS observations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Salohub ◽  
Jana Šafránková ◽  
Zdeněk Němeček
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Rest Frame ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Solar Wind Plasma ◽  
Turbulent Plasma ◽  
Bow Shock ◽  
Ulf Waves ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Shock Surface ◽  
The Earth

<p>The foreshock is a region filled with a turbulent plasma located upstream the Earth’s bow shock where interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) lines are connected to the bow shock surface. In this region, ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves are generated due to the interaction of the solar wind plasma with particles reflected from the bow shock back into the solar wind. It is assumed that excited waves grow and they are convected through the solar wind/foreshock, thus the inner spacecraft (close to the bow shock) would observe larger wave amplitudes than the outer (far from the bow shock) spacecraft. The paper presents a statistical analysis of excited ULF fluctuations observed simultaneously by two closely separated THEMIS spacecraft orbiting the Moon under a nearly radial IMF. We found that ULF fluctuations (in the plasma rest frame) can be characterized as a mixture of transverse and compressional modes with different properties at both locations. We discuss the growth and/or damping of ULF waves during their propagation.</p>

Review Lecture: The dynamical properties and internal structures of the Earth, the Moon and the planets

1972 ◽  
Vol 328 (1574) ◽  
pp. 301-336 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Internal Structure ◽  
Recent Progress ◽  
High Pressures ◽  
Artificial Satellites ◽  
The Moon ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Internal Structures ◽  
Theoretical Investigations ◽  
Dynamical Properties ◽  
Very High

The aim of this review is to bring together and relate recent progress in three subjects - the internal structure of the Earth, the behaviour of materials at very high pressures and the dynamical properties of the planets. Knowledge of the internal structure of the Earth has been advanced in recent years, particularly by observations of free oscillations of the whole Earth excited by the very largest earthquakes; as a consequence, it is clear that K. E. Bullen’s hypothesis that bulk modulus is a smooth function of pressure irrespective of composition is close to the truth for the Earth. Understanding of the behaviour of materials at very high pressure has increased as a result both of experiments on the propagation of shock waves and of theoretical investigations along a number of lines and it can now be seen that Bullen’s hypothesis is not true irrespective of chemical composition and crystal structure but that it happens to apply to the Earth because of particular circumstances. Studies of the orbits of artificial satellites and space probes have led to better knowledge of the dynamics of the Moon, Mars and Venus, and there have also been recent improvements in the traditional studies of Uranus and Neptune. Our knowledge of the dynamics of the planets is on the whole rather restricted, and Bullen’s hypothesis only applies directly to the Moon (for which the application is trivial) and possibly to Mars; the dynamical properties do none the less set fairly restrictive limits to the models that can be constructed for other planets. It would be possible for all planets to have cores of similar composition to the Earth ’s, surrounded by mantles of different sorts, silicates for the terrestrial planets and mostly hydrogen for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

scholarly journals LUNAR LASER RANGING TESTS OF THE EQUIVALENCE PRINCIPLE WITH THE EARTH AND MOON

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (07) ◽  
pp. 1129-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMES G. WILLIAMS ◽  
SLAVA G. TURYSHEV ◽  
DALE H. BOGGS
Keyword(s):  
Equivalence Principle ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Laser Ranging ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Lunar Laser Ranging ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Lunar Laser ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Ppn Parameters

A primary objective of the lunar laser ranging (LLR) experiment is to provide precise observations of the lunar orbit that contribute to a wide range of science investigations. In particular, time series of the highly accurate measurements of the distance between the Earth and the Moon provide unique information used to determine whether, in accordance with the equivalence principle (EP), these two celestial bodies are falling toward the Sun at the same rate, despite their different masses, compositions, and gravitational self-energies. Thirty-five years since their initiation, analyses of precision laser ranges to the Moon continue to provide increasingly stringent limits on any violation of the EP. Current LLR solutions give (-1.0 ± 1.4) × 10-13 for any possible inequality in the ratios of the gravitational and inertial masses for the Earth and Moon, Δ(MG/MI). This result, in combination with laboratory experiments on the weak equivalence principle, yields a strong equivalence principle (SEP) test of Δ(MG/MI) SEP = (-2.0 ± 2.0) × 10-13. Such an accurate result allows other tests of gravitational theories. The result of the SEP test translates into a value for the corresponding SEP violation parameter η of (4.4 ± 4.5) × 10-4, where η = 4β - γ - 3 and both γ and β are parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) parameters. Using the recent result for the parameter γ derived from the radiometric tracking data from the Cassini mission, the PPN parameter β (quantifying the nonlinearity of gravitational superposition) is determined to be β - 1 = (1.2 ± 1.1) × 10-4. We also present the history of the LLR effort and describe the technique that is being used. Focusing on the tests of the EP, we discuss the existing data, and characterize the modeling and data analysis techniques. The robustness of the LLR solutions is demonstrated with several different approaches that are presented in the text. We emphasize that near-term improvements in the LLR accuracy will further advance the research on relativistic gravity in the solar system and, most notably, will continue to provide highly accurate tests of the EP.

scholarly journals Apollo 11 and Fundamental Science

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro De Rújula
Keyword(s):  
Equivalence Principle ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
The Moon ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Fundamental Science ◽  
Strong Equivalence Principle

Since Apollo 11 landed its crew on the moon, pessimistic observers have suggested that the only interesting spin-off from the expedition was Moon Boots. Not so. Apollo 11 made possible highly accurate measurements of the distance between the earth and the moon, exquisitely precise tests of the strong equivalence principle, as well as improvements of technologies used in daily life.

scholarly journals Rotation of the Solar System Bodies

1992 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 508-536
Author(s):  
B. Kolaczek
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Solid Body ◽  
Artificial Satellites ◽  
The Moon ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Photometric Observations ◽  
Solar System Bodies ◽  
Rotation Of The Earth ◽  
Better Than

Solar System bodies are different. They have different sizes, from large planets to small asteroids, and shapes. They have different structure, from solid body to solid body with fluid atmosphere or core, to gaseous bodies, but all of them rotate. The Solar System is a big laboratory for studying rotation of solid and fluid bodies.Different observational methods are applied to determine the rotation of the Solar system bodies. They depend on the position of the observer and on the structure of the bodies. The most accurate methods, laser ranging to the Moon and artificial satellites and Very Long Base radio Interferometry have been applied to the determination of the rotation of the Earth and the Moon. Their accuracy is better than 0.001”, which on the surface of the Earth corresponds to about 3 cm. Radiotracking of artifical satellites have been used for Earth, Moon, Venus, Mars. In the case of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto-Charon magnetic and photometric observations have been used respectively. Their accuracy is of the order of one tenth of a degree.

Index to Volume 277

1975 ◽  
Vol 277 (1274) ◽  
pp. 649-649
Keyword(s):  
Orbital Motion ◽  
Lunar Orbit ◽  
Artificial Satellites ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Slight Effect ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Westerly Direction ◽  
Complete Revolution

Dr R. R. Newton has notified the following correction to his contribution. The paragraph at the bottom of page 16 and the top of page 17 should read: The node of the lunar orbit rotates in a westerly direction around the plane of the ecliptic, making a complete revolution in about 18.61 years. This motion, and this time interval, are important in eclipse theory, as we shall discuss in the next section. This motion results almost entirely from the perturbation of the Sun’s gravitation on the Moon’s orbital motion. The Earth’s equatorial bulge, which is almost entirely responsible for the motion of the nodes of artificial satellites near the Earth, has only a slight effect on a satellite as distant as the Moon.

scholarly journals Some Differences Between Geometrical and Dynamical Figures of the Moon

1972 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 32-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. V. Gavrilov
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Field ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Homogeneous Model ◽  
Artificial Satellites ◽  
Geometrical Shape ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Geometrical Figure ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
The North ◽  
The Earth

The geometrical shape of the Moon is determined from measurements of absolute heights of the lunar surface, while its dynamical shape is described by means of the Moon's gravity field parameters. All these data are derived from observations of the lunar artificial satellites (‘Luna-10’, ‘Orbiters 1-4’) and astronomical measurements.In the paper differences of the lunar geometrical and dynamical figures are analysed. It is shown, that the homogeneous model of the Moon is not capable of explaining these differences. It is found, that the lunar centre of gravity situated about 0.9 km to the north, and 1.1 km nearer to the Earth, than the centre of its geometrical figure.

scholarly journals DECOHERENCE AND GRAVITATIONAL BACKGROUDS

2002 ◽  
Vol 17 (06n07) ◽  
pp. 1003-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
SERGE REYNAUD ◽  
BRAHIM LAMINE ◽  
ASTRID LAMBRECHT ◽  
PAUOLO MAIA NETO ◽  
MARC-THIERRY JAEKEL
Keyword(s):  
Gravitational Waves ◽  
Effective Temperature ◽  
Planetary Motion ◽  
The Moon ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Gravitational Scattering ◽  
Decoherence Process ◽  
Very High ◽  
Negligible Influence

We study the decoherence process associated with the scattering of stochastic gravitational waves. We discuss the case of macroscopic systems, such as the planetary motion of the Moon around the Earth, for which gravitational scattering is found to dominate decoherence though it has a negligible influence on damping. This contrast is due to the very high effective temperature of the background of gravitational waves in our galactic environment.

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