Satellite Laser-Ranging as a Probe of Fundamental Physics
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Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2019-06
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Citation of Original Publication
Ignazio Ciufolini and Richard Matzner and Antonio Paolozzi and Erricos C. Pavlis and Giampiero Sindoni and John Ries and Vahe Gurzadyan and Rolf Koenig, Satellite Laser-Ranging as a Probe of Fundamental Physics; Scientific Reports 9,15881 (2019); https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-52183-9#article-info
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Abstract
Satellite laser-ranging is successfully used in space geodesy, geodynamics and Earth sciences; and to test fundamental physics and specific features of General Relativity. We present a confirmation to approximately one part in a billion of the fundamental weak equivalence principle (uniqueness of free fall) in the Earth's gravitational field, obtained with three laser-ranged satellites, at previously untested range and with previously untested materials. The weak equivalence principle is at the foundation of General Relativity and of most gravitational theories.