Related papers: Lunar Reference Timescale
The successful miniaturisation of extremely accurate atomic clocks and atom interferometers invites prospects for satellite missions to perform precision experiments. We discuss the effects predicted by general relativity and alternative…
If properly interpreted, the impact record of the Moon, Earth's nearest neighbour, can be used to gain insights into how the Earth has been influenced by impacting events since its formation ~4.5 billion years (Ga) ago. However, the nature…
Aharonov-Kaufherr model of quantum space-time which accounts Reference Frames (RF) quantum effects is considered in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics framework. For RF connected with some macroscopic object its free quantum motion - wave…
The speed of laser light pulses launched from Earth and returned by a retro-reflector on the Moon was calculated from precision round-trip time-of-flight measurements and modeled distances. The measured speed of light (c) in the moving…
Numerous missions planned for the next decade are likely to target a handful of smal sites of interest on the Moon's surface, creating risks of crowding and interference at these locations. The Moon presents finite and scarce areas with…
We describe here how planetary ephemerides are built in the framework of General Relativity and how they can be used to test alternative theories. We focus on the definition of the reference frame (space and time) in which the planetary…
We show how a suitably prepared set of clocks can be used to determine all components of the gravitational field in General Relativity. We call such an experimental setup a clock compass, in analogy to the usual gravitational compass.…
A new analysis of extended data records collected with the Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) technique performed with improved tidal models was not able to resolve the issue of the anomalous rate $\dot e$ of the eccentricity $e$ of the orbit of the…
We reformulate Classical Mechanics as a timeless relativistic theory. Readers are introduced to a new class of reference systems, the binate frames, where physical events are identified with four position-coordinates -- no clocks are used.…
The environment on the Moon has numerous features that make it interesting not only for the study of astrophysical phenomena, but also elementary particle physics. In fact, vacuum conditions, low gravity, and exposure to a relatively…
Space-based clock-comparison experiments can provide Planck-scale sensitivity to many parameters for Lorentz and CPT violation that are difficult to measure on Earth. The principal advantages are a reduced timescale for data collection,…
We propose a novel approach which implements the relativistic calculations of the photon travel time into a robust timing model for pulsars orbiting supermassive black holes. We demonstrate that timing models relying on the lowest-order…
Satellite tracking involves sending electromagnetic signals to Earth. Both the orbit of the spacecraft and the electromagnetic signals themselves are affected by the curvature of spacetime. The arrival time of the pulses is compared to the…
A recent analysis of a Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) data record spanning 38.7 yr revealed an anomalous increase of the eccentricity of the lunar orbit amounting to de/dt_meas = (9 +/- 3) 10^-12 yr^-1. The present-day models of the dissipative…
In general relativity, the picture of spacetime assigns an ideal clock to each worldline. Being ideal, gravitational effects due to these clocks are ignored and the flow of time according to one clock is not affected by the presence of…
Recent resolutions passed by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on astronomical reference systems, time scales, and Earth rotation models are the most significant set of international agreements in positional astronomy in several…
An interpretation of the inertial mass increase due to an object's velocity which is derived from the theory of special relativity is discussed. A Lorentz transformation of the reference time causes the inertial mass increase. It is assumed…
This paper is devoted to a practical model for relativistic reduction of positional observations with an accuracy of 1 \muas which is expected to be attained in the future space astrometry missions. All relativistic effects which are caused…
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…
Relationalism -- along the lines developed by Barbour and collaborators in the past 3 decades -- can be considered an advance with 1/4 of the facets of the canonical approach's Problem of Time as identified by Isham and Kuchar. Indeed,…