Probing the gravitational redshift with an Earth-orbiting satellite
Journal article, 2018

We present an approach to testing the gravitational redshift effect using the RadioAstron satellite. The experiment is based on a modification of the Gravity Probe A scheme of nonrelativistic Doppler compensation and benefits from the highly eccentric orbit and ultra-stable atomic hydrogen maser frequency standard of the RadioAstron satellite. Using the presented techniques we expect to reach an accuracy of the gravitational redshift test of order 10−5, a magnitude better than that of Gravity Probe A. Data processing is ongoing, our preliminary results agree with the validity of the Einstein Equivalence Principle.

Atomic clocks

Equivalence Principle

Gravitational redshift

RadioAstron

Author

Dmitry Litvinov

Moscow State University

Bauman Moscow State Technical University

V. N. Rudenko

Moscow State University

A. V. Alakoz

Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute

Uwe Bach

Max Planck Society

N. Bartel

York University

A. V. Belonenko

Moscow State University

K. G. Belousov

Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute

M. Bietenholz

York University

A. V. Biriukov

Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute

R. Carman

Geoscience Australia

G. Cimó

Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)

C. Courde

Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur

D. Dirkx

Delft University of Technology

Dmitry A. Duev

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

A. I. Filetkin

Moscow State University

G. Granato

Delft University of Technology

Leonid I. Gurvits

Delft University of Technology

A. V. Gusev

Moscow State University

Rüdiger Haas

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory

G. Herold

Geodetic Observatory Wettzell (GOW)

A. Kahlon

University of Tasmania

B. Z. Kanevsky

Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute

V. L. Kauts

Bauman Moscow State Technical University

G. D. Kopelyansky

Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute

A. V. Kovalenko

Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory

G. Kronschnabl

Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG)

V. V. Kulagin

Moscow State University

A. M. Kutkin

Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute

Michael Lindqvist

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory

J. E. J. Lovell

University of Tasmania

H. Mariey

Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur

Jamie McCallum

University of Tasmania

Guifré Molera Calvés

Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI)

C. Moore

Mount Stromlo Observatory

K. Moore

York University

Alexander Neidhardt

Technical University of Munich

Christian Plötz

Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG)

Sergei V. Pogrebenko

Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)

A. Pollard

Mount Stromlo Observatory

N. K. Porayko

Moscow State University

Jonathan Quick

Hartebeeshoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

A. I. Smirnov

Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute

K. V. Sokolovsky

Moscow State University

V. A. Stepanyants

Russian Academy of Sciences

J.-M. Torre

Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur

Pablo de Vicente

Yebes Observatory

Jun Yang

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory

M. V. Zakhvatkin

Russian Academy of Sciences

Physics Letters, Section A: General, Atomic and Solid State Physics

0375-9601 (ISSN)

Vol. 382 33 2192-2198

Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)

Physical Sciences

Roots

Basic sciences

Infrastructure

Onsala Space Observatory

DOI

10.1016/j.physleta.2017.09.014

More information

Latest update

11/12/2025