Probing the gravitational redshift with an Earth-orbiting satellite

Creators: Litvinov, D. A.; Duev, D. A.

Abstract

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.

Additional Information

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. Available online 14 September 2017. The authors wish to thank the team of the Astro Space Center of the Lebedev Physical Institute, and especially its head Nikolay Kardashev, and the RadioAstron project scientist Yuri Y. Kovalev, for constant support in preparation and realization of the experiment. The authors also thank the referees for valuable comments. Research for the RadioAstron gravitational redshift experiment is supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant 17-12-01488. The RadioAstron project is led by the Astro Space Center of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Lavochkin Scientific and Production Association under a contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency, in collaboration with partner organizations in Russia and other countries. The European VLBI Network is a joint facility of independent European, African, Asian, and North American radio astronomy institutes. Scientific results from data presented in this publication are derived from the following EVN project codes: EL053, EL057. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. The Long Baseline Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the South African National Research Foundation. AuScope Ltd is funded under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), an Australian Commonwealth Government Programme.

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