On the possibility of testing the Weak Equivalence Principle with artificial Earth satellites

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dc.creatorIorio, Lorenzo
dc.date2003-09-22
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T08:09:55Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T08:09:55Z
dc.descriptionIn this paper we examine the possibility of testing the equivalence principle, in its weak form, by analyzing the orbital motion of a pair of artificial satellites of different composition moving along orbits of identical shape and size in the gravitational field of Earth. It turns out that the obtainable level of accuracy is, realistically, of the order of 10^-10 or slightly better. It is limited mainly by the fact that, due to the unavoidable orbital injection errors, it would not be possible to insert the satellites in orbits with exactly the same radius and that such difference could be known only with a finite precision. The present-day level of accuracy, obtained with torsion balance Earth-based measurements and the analysis of Earth-Moon motion in the gravitational field of Sun with the Lunar Laser Ranging technique, is of the order of 10^-13. The proposed space-based missions STEP, \muSCOPE, GG and SEE aim to reach a 10^-15-10^-18 precision level.
dc.descriptionLaTex2e, 13 pages, no figures, no tables. To appear in General Relativity and Gravitation
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0309105
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0309105
dc.identifierGen.Rel.Grav. 36 (2004) 361-372
dc.identifierdoi:10.1023/B:GERG.0000010481.56652.5e
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/131684
dc.subjectGeneral Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.subjectHigh Energy Physics - Phenomenology
dc.subjectHigh Energy Physics - Theory
dc.subjectSpace Physics
dc.titleOn the possibility of testing the Weak Equivalence Principle with artificial Earth satellites
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