Related papers: Sun-Earth Lagrange reference for fundamental physi…
The geometric calibration of the Planck satellite using the planetary transits is investigated, together with the reconstruction of any offsets from the nominal layout of the focal plane. The methods presented here may be applied to a…
This paper briefly reviews a number of fundamental measurements that need to be made in order to characterize turbulence in space plasmas such as the solar wind. It has long been known that many of these quantities require simultaneous…
The search for extrasolar Earth-like planets is underway. Over 100 extrasolar giant planets are known to orbit nearby sun-like stars, including several in multiple-planet systems. These planetary systems are stepping stones for the search…
In this paper we investigate the opportunities offered by the new Earth gravity models from the dedicated CHAMP and, especially, GRACE missions to the project of measuring the general relativistic Lense-Thirring effect with a new Earth's…
Large scale square ring laser gyros with a length of four meters on each side are approaching a sensitivity of 1x10^-11 rad/s/sqrt(Hz). This is about the regime required to measure the gravitomagnetic effect (Lense Thirring) of the Earth.…
The Breakthrough Starshot project aims to send centimeter-sized, gram-scale "StarChip" probes to Alpha Centauri at a speed of $\sim0.2c$. On the other hand, Zhang \& Li recently proposed that trans-relativistic cameras may be sent to any…
Historically, the Michelson-Morley experiment has played a crucial role for abandoning the idea of a preferred reference frame, the ether, and for replacing Lorentzian Relativity with Einstein's Special Relativity. However, our re-analysis…
The large-scale magnetic field of our Galaxy can be probed in three dimensions using Faraday rotation of pulsar signals. We report on the determination of 223 rotation measures from polarization observations of relatively distant southern…
The capability of maintaining two satellites in precise relative position, stable in a celestial coordinate system, would enable major advances in a number of scientific disciplines and with a variety of types of instrumentation. The common…
The study of planets beyond the solar system and the search for other habitable planets and life is just beginning. Ground-based (radial velocity and transits) and space-based surveys (transits and astrometry) will identify planets spanning…
For millenia, sailors have used the empirical rule that the elevation angle of Polaris, the North Star, as measured by sextant, quadrant or astrolabe, is approximately equal to latitude. Here, we show using elementary trigonometry that…
We propose an under-ground experiment to detect the general relativistic effects due to the curvature of space-time around the Earth (de Sitter effect) and to rotation of the planet (dragging of the inertial frames or Lense-Thirring…
Starting from the most general scalar-tensor theory with second order field equations in four dimensions, we establish the unique action that will allow for the existence of a consistent self-tuning mechanism on FLRW backgrounds, and show…
The solar atmosphere is full of complicated transients manifesting the reconfiguration of solar magnetic field and plasma. Solar jets represent collimated, beam-like plasma ejections; they are ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere and…
The Earth itself is not stationary but keeps revolving, and its motion further satisfies the law of equal area according to the heliocentric doctrine. That satisfaction can be used to construct the mathematical relationships between the…
Effective Lagrangians with dimension-six operators are widely used to analyse Higgs and other electroweak data. We show how to build a basis of operators such that each operator corresponds to a coupling which is well measured or will be in…
Attitude sensors determine the spacecraft attitude through the sensing of an astronomical object, field or other phenomena. The Sun and fixed stars are the two primary astronomical sensing objects. Attitude sensors are critical components…
Planetary systems with multiple transiting planets are beneficial for understanding planet occurrence rates and system architectures. Although we have yet to find a solar system analogue, future surveys may detect multiple terrestrial…
We show that distances of objects at cosmological distances can be measured directly using interferometry. Our approach to interferometric parallax comes from analysis of 4-point amplitude and intensity correlations that can be generated…
The global transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy production is a major challenge. We present an innovative solution by utilizing smartphone light sensors to measure direct normal solar irradiance, the primary component of…