2006/11/28 by Fred C. Adams, Gregory Laughlin · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Exoplanet #General relativity #Orbital mechanics #Physics #Planet #Planetary system #Satellite #Solar System #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Theoretical physics #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1142/s0218271806009479
published as Int.J.Mod.Phys.D15:2133-2140,2006 · Accepted for publication in International Journal of Modern Physics D; this paper received ``Honorable Mention'' in the 2006 Essay Competition of the Gravity Research Foundation; 9 pages including 1 figure
arxiv created 2006/11/28 · openalex publication_date 2006/12/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
This paper considers general relativistic (GR) effects in currently observed extrasolar planetary systems. Although GR corrections are small, they can compete with secular interactions in these systems and thereby play an important role. Specifically, some of the observed multiple planet systems are close to secular resonance, where the dynamics is extremely sensitive to GR corrections, and these systems can be used as laboratories to test general relativity. For the three-planet solar system Upsilon Andromedae, secular interaction theory implies an 80% probability of finding the system with its observed orbital elements if GR is correct, compared with only a 2% probability in the absence of GR. In the future, tighter constraints can be obtained with increased temporal coverage.