Related papers: The new lunar ephemeris INPOP17a and its applicati…
This paper addresses the motivation, technology and recent results in the tests of the general theory of relativity (GR) in the solar system. We specifically discuss Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR), the only technique available to test the Strong…
We use the planetary ephemeris INPOP17b to constrain the mass of the graviton in the Newtonian limit. We also give an interpretation of this result for a specific case of fifth force framework. We find that the residuals for the Cassini…
LLR measures the distance between observatories on Earth and retro-reflectors on Moon since 1969. In this paper, we study the possible violation of the equality of passive and active gravitational mass ($m_{a}/m_{p}$), for Aluminium (Al)…
Modern lunar-planetary ephemerides are numerically integrated on the observational timespan of more than 100 years (with the last 20 years having very precise astrometrical data). On such long timespans, not only finite difference…
We construct a set of post-Newtonian reference frames for a comprehensive study of the orbital dynamics and rotational motion of the Moon and Earth by means of lunar laser ranging (LLR) with the precision of one millimeter. We also derive…
The EPM2011 ephemerides are computed using an updated dynamical model, new values of the parameters, and an extended observation database that contains about 680 000 positional measurements of various types obtained from 1913 to 2011. The…
Time-dependent gravity data from satellite missions like GRACE-FO reveal mass redistribution in the system Earth at various time scales: long-term climate change signals, inter-annual phenomena like El Nino, seasonal mass transports and…
This work deals with the comparison of different parameters (French/IMCCE and US/JPL ephemerides) used to calculate the extension of the umbral shadow and the location of the centre line in the total solar eclipse that took place on March,…
High-precision ephemerides are not only useful in supporting space missions, but also in investigating the physical nature of celestial bodies. This paper reports an update to the orbit and rotation model of the Martian moon Phobos. In…
Lunar laser ranging has provided many of the best tests of gravitation since the first Apollo astronauts landed on the Moon. The march to higher precision continues to this day, now entering the millimeter regime, and promising continued…
We collected rich series of RV measurements covering last 110 years and photometric observations from the past 6 primary eclipses, complemented them by our new observations and derived a new precise ephemeris and an orbital solution of…
This paper compares scale-invariant (SIFT) and scale-variant (ORB) feature detection methods, alongside our novel feature detector, IntFeat, specifically applied to lunar imagery. We evaluate these methods using low (128x128) and…
NASA's return to the Moon presents unparalleled opportunities to advance high-impact scientific capabilities. At the cutting edge of these possibilities are extremely high-resolution interferometric observations at visible and ultraviolet…
Planetary ephemerides are a good tool for studying general relativity at the scale of our solar system. We present here new evaluations of advances of perihelia for Mercury and Saturn.
Analyses of laser ranges to the Moon provide increasingly stringent limits on any violation of the Equivalence Principle (EP); they also enable several very accurate tests of relativistic gravity. We report the results of our recent…
We present constraints on violations of Lorentz Invariance based on Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) data. LLR measures the Earth-Moon separation by timing the round-trip travel of light between the two bodies, and is currently accurate to a few…
Based on the new developped planetary ephemerides INPOP13c, determinations of acceptable intervals of General Relativity violation in considering simultaneously the PPN parameters $\beta$, PPN $\gamma$, the flattening of the sun…
A new model has been developed to estimate the dielectric constant of the lunar surface using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. Continuous investigation on the dielectric constant of the lunar surface is a high priority task due to…
Current and future optical technologies will aid exploration of the Moon and Mars while advancing fundamental physics research in the solar system. Technologies and possible improvements in the laser-enabled tests of various physical…
In this note we mainly explore the possibility of measuring the action of the intrinsic gravitomagnetic field of the rotating Earth on the orbital motion of the Moon with the Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) technique. Expected improvements in it…