Related papers: The Earth's velocity for direct detection experime…
Although special relativity limits the actual velocity of a particle to $c$, the velocity of light, the observed velocity need not be the same as the actual velocity as the observer is only aware of the position of a particle at the time in…
This chapter describes briefly the key aspects behind the derivation of precise radial velocities. I start by defining radial velocity precision in the context of astrophysics in general and exoplanet searches in particular. Next I discuss…
The classical method for measure the Earth-Sun distance is due to Aristarchus and it is based upon the measure of the angle Moon-Earth-Sun when the Moon is exactly in quadrature. Such an angle is only 9 arcminutes smaller than 90 degrees,…
The perturbation of the lunar motion caused by a hypothetical violation of the equivalence principle is analytically worked out in terms of power series \`a la Hill-Brown. The interaction with the quadrupolar tide is found to amplify the…
We propose an alternative method to detect the secular aberration drift induced by the solar system acceleration due to the attraction to the Galaxy centre. This method is free of the individual radio source proper motion caused by…
Stellar activity is a potential important limitation to the detection of low mass extrasolar planets with indirect methods (RV, photometry, astrometry). In previous papers, using the Sun as a proxy, we investigated the impact of stellar…
That the speed of light is always c=300,000km/s relative to any observer in nonaccelerating motion is one of the foundational concepts of physics. Experimentally this was supposed to have been first revealed by the 1887 Michelson-Morley…
The development of both special and general relativity is accomplished in a series of 6 papers using a simple approach. The purpose is to explain the how and why of relativity to a broad public, and to be useful for students of physics by…
The strange visual appearance of objects is one of the puzzling predictions of Einstein's relativity. This is mainly due to the distinction between measuring and seeing, where the former is described by the Lorentz Transformation and the…
In this work, we use real quaternions and the basic concept of the final speed of light in an attempt to enhance the standard description of special relativity. First, we demonstrate that it is possible to introduce a quaternion time domain…
Astrometric detection of an unseen companion is based on analysis of apparent motion of its host star around the system's barycentre. Systems with orbital period close to one year may escape detection if orbital motion of their host stars…
A major recent evelopment in observational cosmology has been an accurate measurement of the luminosity distance-redshift relation out to redshifts z=0.8 from Type Ia supernova standard candles. The results have been argued as evidence for…
The use of four Lagrange points of the Sun/Earth system for fundamental physics experiments in space is presented. L1, L2, L4 and L5 rotating rigidly together with the Earth form a natural reference frame at the scale of the inner solar…
Direct detection and characterization of Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars is a core task for evaluating the prevalence of habitability and life in the Universe. Here, we discuss a promising option for achieving this goal, which is…
The differential event rate for direct detection of dark matter, both the time averaged and the modulated one due to the motion of the Earth, are discussed. The calculations focus on relatively light cold dark matter candidates (WIMP) and…
Determination of the expansion and acceleration history of the universe is one of the fundamental goals of cosmology. Detailed measurements of these rates as a function of redshift can provide new physical insights into the nature and…
Peculiar velocities are a precious tool to study the large-scale distribution of matter in the local universe and test cosmological models. However, present measurements of peculiar velocities are based on empirical distance indicators,…
In general relativity, only relative acceleration has an observer-independend meaning: curvature and non-gravitational forces determine the rate at which world lines of test bodies diverge or converge. We derive the equations governing both…
Direct imaging and characterization of extrasolar Earth-like planets is strongly impacted by the orbital inclination of the planet to be studied, as a combination of pure geometrical effects and the impact of exozodiacal dust. Here, we…
The Sun is an active star that can have a direct impact on the Earth, its magnetosphere, and the technological infrastructure on which modern society depends. Among the phenomena that drive "space weather" are fast solar wind streams and…