An Assessment of the Systematic Uncertainty in Present and Future Tests of the Lense-Thirring Effect with Satellite Laser Ranging

2008/09/30 by Lorenzo Iorio · 3 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #GNSS positioning and interference #Geophysics and Gravity Measurements #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #astro-ph #gr-qc #physics.geo-ph #physics.space-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s11214-008-9478-1

published as Space Sci.Rev.148: 363-381,2009 · LaTex, 19 pages, 1 figure, 12 tables. Invited and refereed contribution to The ISSI Workshop, 6-10 October 2008, on The Nature of Gravity Confronting Theory and Experiment in Space To appear in Space Science Reviews

arxiv created 2008/12/05 · openalex publication_date 2008/12/25 · arxiv updated 2010/11/30 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

We deal with the attempts to measure the Lense-Thirring effect with the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) technique applied to the existing LAGEOS and LAGEOS II terrestrial satellites and to the recently approved LARES spacecraft.The first issue addressed here is: are the so far published evaluations of the systematic uncertainty induced by the bad knowledge of the even zonal harmonic coefficients J_L of the multipolar expansion of the Earth's geopotential reliable and realistic? Our answer is negative. Indeed, if the differences Delta J_L among the even zonals estimated in different Earth's gravity field global solutions from the dedicated GRACE mission are assumed for the uncertainties delta J_L instead of using their covariance sigmas sigma_JL, it turns out that the systematic uncertainty δμin the Lense-Thirring test with the nodes Omega of LAGEOS and LAGEOS II may be up to 3 to 4 times larger than in the evaluations so far published (5-10%) based on the use of the sigmas of one model at a time separately. The second issue consists of the possibility of using a different approach in extracting the relativistic signature of interest from the LAGEOS-type data. The third issue is the possibility of reaching a realistic total accuracy of 1% with LAGEOS, LAGEOS II and LARES, which should be launched in November 2009 with a VEGA rocket. While LAGEOS and LAGEOS II fly at altitudes of about 6000 km, LARES will be likely placed at an altitude of 1450 km. Thus, it will be sensitive to much more even zonals than LAGEOS and LAGEOS II. Their corrupting impact has been evaluated with the standard Kaula's approach up to degree L=60 by using Delta J_L and sigma_JL; it turns out that it may be as large as some tens percent.

Citations

• The Impact of the Static Part of the Earth's Gravity Field on Some Tests of General Relativity with Satellite Laser Ranging
• On the measurement of the Lense–Thirring effect using the nodes of the LAGEOS satellites, in reply to “On the reliability of the so-far performed tests for measuring the Lense–Thirring effect with the LAGEOS satellites” by L. Iorio
• Determination of frame-dragging using Earth gravity models from CHAMP and GRACE
• A critical approach to the concept of a polar, low-altitude LARES satellite
• The LAGEOS satellites orbital residuals determination and the Lense–Thirring effect measurement
• Reassessment of the error modelling of non-gravitational perturbations on LAGEOS II and their impact in the Lense–Thirring determination. Part I
• An assessment of the measurement of the Lense–Thirring effect in the Earth gravity field, in reply to: “On the measurement of the Lense–Thirring effect using the nodes of the LAGEOS satellites, in reply to “On the reliability of the so far performed tests for measuring the Lense–Thirring effect with the LAGEOS satellites” by L. Iorio,” by I. Ciufolini and E. Pavlis
• The Impact of the New Earth Gravity Models on the Measurement of the Lense–Thirring Effect
• A note on the evidence of the gravitomagnetic field of Mars
• LAGEOS II perigee rate and eccentricity vector excitations residuals and the Yarkovsky–Schach effect
• A confirmation of the general relativistic prediction of the Lense–Thirring effect
• Reassessment of the error modelling of non-gravitational perturbations on LAGEOS II and their impact in the Lense–Thirring derivation—Part II

Cited by

• Satellite orbital precessions caused by the first odd zonal J3 multipole of a non-spherical body arbitrarily oriented in space
• Satellite Orbital Precessions Caused by the Octupolar Mass Moment of a Non-Spherical Body Arbitrarily Oriented in Space
• General relativity [wikipedia]