2008/05/27 by Slava G. Turyshev, SLAVA G. TURYSHEV, Benjamin Lane +5 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Cosmology #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Curvature #Einstein #General relativity #Measure (data warehouse) #Modern physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #Tests of general relativity #Theory of relativity #gr-qc
paper · pdf · doi:10.1142/s0218271809014893
published as Int.J.Mod.Phys.D18:1025-1038,2009 · 8 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables
arxiv created 2008/05/27 · openalex publication_date 2009/06/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The primary objective of the Beyond Einstein Advanced Coherent Optical Network (BEACON) mission is a search for new physics beyond general relativity by measuring the curvature of relativistic space–time around the Earth. This curvature is characterized by the Eddington parameter γ — the most fundamental relativistic gravity parameter and a direct measure for the presence of new physical interactions. BEACON will achieve an accuracy of 1 × 10 -9 in measuring the parameter γ, thereby going a factor of 30,000 beyond the present best result involving the Cassini spacecraft. Secondary mission objectives include: (i) a direct measurement of the "frame-dragging" and geodetic precessions in the Earth's rotational gravitomagnetic field, to 0.05% and 0.03% accuracy respectively, (ii) the first measurement of gravity's nonlinear effects on light and the corresponding second order spatial metric's effects to 0.01% accuracy. BEACON will lead to robust advances in tests of fundamental physics — this mission could discover a violation or extension of general relativity and/or reveal the presence of an additional long range interaction in physics. It will provide crucial information to separate modern scalar–tensor theories of gravity from general relativity, probe possible ways for gravity quantization, and test modern theories of cosmological evolution.