RadioAstron gravitational redshift experiment: Status update
Paper in proceeding, 2018
A test of a cornerstone of general relativity, the gravitational redshift effect, is currently being conducted with the RadioAstron spacecraft, which is on a highly eccentric orbit around Earth. Using ground radio telescopes to record the spacecraft signal, synchronized to its ultra-stable on-board H-maser, we can probe the varying flow of time on board with unprecedented accuracy. The observations performed so far, currently being analyzed, have already allowed us to measure the effect with a relative accuracy of 4 × 10−4. We expect to reach 2.5 × 10−5 with additional observations in 2016, an improvement of almost a magnitude over the 40-year old result of the GP-A mission.
Spacecraft Doppler tracking
RadioAstron
Gravitational redshift
General relativity
Author
D. A. Litvinov
Russian Academy of Sciences
Moscow State University
U. Bach
Max Planck Society
Norbert Bartel
York University
K. G. Belousov
Russian Academy of Sciences
M. Bietenholz
York University
Hartebeeshoek Radio Astronomy Observatory
A. V. Biriukov
Russian Academy of Sciences
G. Cimo
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)
Dmitry Duev
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Moscow State University
L. I. Gurvits
Delft University of Technology
Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)
A. V. Gusev
Moscow State University
Rüdiger Haas
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory
V. L. Kauts
Bauman Moscow State Technical University
Russian Academy of Sciences
B. Z. Kanevsky
Russian Academy of Sciences
A. V. Kovalenko
Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory
G. Kronschnabl
Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG)
V. V. Kulagin
Moscow State University
Michael Lindqvist
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory
G. M. Calves
Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)
Aalto University
Alexander Neidhardt
Technical University of Munich
C. Plötz
Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG)
Sergei Pogrebenko
Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)
N. K. Porayko
Moscow State University
Max Planck Society
V. N. Rudenko
Moscow State University
A. I. Smirnov
Russian Academy of Sciences
K. V. Sokolovsky
Russian Academy of Sciences
Moscow State University
National Observatory of Athens
V. A. Stepanyants
Russian Academy of Sciences
Jun Yang
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Onsala Space Observatory
M. V. Zakhvatkin
Russian Academy of Sciences
14th Marcel Grossman Meeting On Recent Developments in Theoretical and Experimental General Relativity, Astrophysics and Relativistic Field Theories, Proceedings
3569-3575
978-981322659-3 (ISBN)
14th Marcel Grossman Meeting On Recent Developments in Theoretical and Experimental General Relativity, Astrophysics and Relativistic Field Theories
Rom, Italy,
Rom, Italy,
Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Aerospace Engineering
Medical Laboratory and Measurements Technologies
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1142/9789813226609_0463