Related papers: Testing the Flyby Anomaly with the GNSS Constellat…
Many long-range modifications of the Newtonian/Einsteinian standard laws of gravity have been proposed in the recent past to explain various celestial phenomena occurring at different scales ranging from solar system to the entire universe.…
This paper introduces new tests of fundamental physics by means of the analysis of disturbances on the GNSS signal propagation. We show how the GNSS signals are sensitive to a space variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ in a…
The discovery of cosmic acceleration has raised the intriguing possibility that we are witnessing the first breakdown of General Relativity on cosmological scales. In this article I will briefly review current attempts to construct a…
Gravitational lensing is the deflection of light rays due to the gravity of intervening masses. This phenomenon is observed in a variety of scales and configurations, involving any non-uniform mass such as planets, stars, galaxies, clusters…
Micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) have high potential for information gathering tasks to support situation awareness in search and rescue scenarios. Manually controlling MAVs in such scenarios requires experienced pilots and is error-prone,…
Galaxy peculiar velocities can be used to trace the growth of structure on cosmological scales. In the radial direction, peculiar velocities cause redshift space distortions, an established cosmological probe, and can be measured…
Due to the inability to receive signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in extreme conditions, achieving accurate and robust navigation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is a challenging task. Recently emerged,…
We present a new algorithm for anomaly detection called Anomaly Awareness. The algorithm learns about normal events while being made aware of the anomalies through a modification of the cost function. We show how this method works in…
The detection of gravitational waves opened up a new window to look into the Universe by probing phenomena invisible through electromagnetic observations. As gravitational waves interact very weakly with matter, their detection is…
This tutorial covers the use of absolute astrometry, in particular from the combination of the Hipparcos and Gaia missions, to identify faint companions to nearby stars and to measure the masses and orbits of those companions. Absolute…
EarthFinder is a Probe Mission concept selected for study by NASA for input to the 2020 astronomy decadal survey. This study is currently active and a final white paper report is due to NASA at the end of calendar 2018. We are tasked with…
An orbiting `photon clock' is proposed to test directly the relativity of simultaneity effect of special relativity. This is done by exchanging microwave signals between two satellites in low Earth orbit carrying clocks that have previously…
According to the cosmological principle, the Universe should appear isotropic, without any preferred directions, to an observer whom we may consider to be fixed in the co-moving co-ordinate system of the expanding Universe. Such an observer…
This study evaluates a technique for determining the mass of a potentially hazardous asteroid from a high-speed flyby in the context of a rapid reconnaissance planetary defense scenario. We consider a host spacecraft that dispenses a small…
Standalone Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are known to provide positioning accuracy of a few meters in open sky conditions. This accuracy can drop significantly when the line-of-sight (LOS) paths to some GNSS satellites are…
Pulsars of very different types - isolated objects, and binaries with short- and long-period orbits, white-dwarf and neutron-star companions - provide the means to test both the predictions of general relativity and the viability of…
Typical stars in the Milky Way galaxy have velocities of hundreds of kilometres per second and experience gravitational accelerations of $\sim 10^{-10}$ m s$^{-2}$, resulting in velocity changes of a few centimetres per second over a…
Modern astronomical surveys are producing datasets of unprecedented size and richness, increasing the potential for high-impact scientific discovery. This possibility, coupled with the challenge of exploring a large number of sources, has…
gamma ray altitude control system is an important equipment for deep space exploration and sample return mission, its main purpose is a low altitude measurement of the spacecraft based on Compton Effect at the moment when it lands on…
We review the case for testing preferred acceleration scale theories of gravity (sometimes falling under the guise of MOdified Newtonian Dynamics) in the Solar System using the forthcoming LISA Pathfinder (LPF) mission. Using a combination…