Testing the Relativistic Effect of the Propagation of Gravity by Very Long Baseline Interferometry

2001/05/31 by Sergei M. Kopeikin · 59 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Baseline (sea) #Classical mechanics #GNSS positioning and interference #Galaxy #General relativity #Geodesy #Geology #Geophysics and Gravity Measurements #Interferometry #Jupiter (rocket family) #Optics #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quasar #Theory of relativity #Very-long-baseline interferometry #astro-ph #gr-qc #hep-ph #hep-th #physics.space-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/322872

published in The Astrophysical Journal 556(1), L1-L5 (IOP Publishing) · 11 pages, accepted to ApJ Letters

arxiv created 2001/06/07 · openalex publication_date 2001/07/20 · arxiv updated 2014/11/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

It is shown that the finite speed of gravity affects very long baseline interferometric observations of quasars during the time of their line-of-sight close angular encounter with Jupiter. The next such event will take place in 2002 September 8. The present Letter suggests a new experimental test of general relativity in which the effect of the propagation of gravity can be directly measured by very long baseline interferometry as an excess time delay in addition to the logarithmic Shapiro time delay.

Citations

• Astrometric and timing effects of gravitational waves from localized sources
• Binary pulsars and relativistic gravity
• Fourth Test of General Relativity
• Astrometry and geodesy with radio interferometry: experiments, models, results

Cited by

• Covariant equations of motion beyond the spin-dipole particle approximation
• The Measurement of the Light Deflection from Jupiter: Experimental Results
• Recent VLBA/VERA/IVS tests of general relativity