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

General relativity

Gravitational redshift

RadioAstron

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

Hartebeeshoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

York University

A. V. Biriukov

Russian Academy of Sciences

G. Cimo

Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)

Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)

Dmitry Duev

Moscow State University

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

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

Aalto University

Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)

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

National Observatory of Athens

Moscow State University

Russian Academy of Sciences

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,

Subject Categories

Aerospace Engineering

Medical Laboratory and Measurements Technologies

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

DOI

10.1142/9789813226609_0463

More information

Latest update

3/2/2022 6