Related papers: Relativistic stellar aberration for the Space Inte…
Accurate distances to stars and galaxies allow for significant tests of stellar evolution, galaxy formation and evolution and cosmology. NASA's Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) will obtain precision [1-30 microarcsec] astrometry for…
Recent theoretical works on alternative metric theories of gravity give greater significance to solar-system tests of General Relativity. In particular, it is suggested that the post-Newtonian parameter $\gamma$ ought to be determined with…
We provide a preliminary estimate of the performance of reflex astrometry on Earth-like planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars. In Monte Carlo experiments, we analyze large samples of astrometric data sets with low to moderate…
The Laser Astrometric Test Of Relativity (LATOR) is a Michelson-Morley-type experiment designed to achieve a major improvement in the accuracy of the tests of relativistic gravity in the solar system. By using a combination of independent…
We present an analysis of high-resolution imaging of an exoplanet by a meter-class telescope positioned at a real image of the exoplanet created by the solar gravity lens. We assume an exoplanet viewed in full phase and a simple…
One of the main endeavors of fundamental astrometry is to establish a practical realization of an inertial reference frame anchored to celestial objects whose positions are defined in the barycentric coordinates of the solar system. The…
The uncertainty of the lens mass can be substantially reduced if it is determined from the lens proper motion obtained from astrometric measurements of the source image centroid shifts, $\vdelta\vtheta_c$, by using high precision…
Measurements from the Solar Irradiance Monitor (SIM) onboard the SORCE mission indicate that solar spectral irradiance at Visible and IR wavelengths varies in counter phase with the solar activity cycle. The sign of these variations is not…
Mega-constellations in Low Earth Orbit have the potential to revolutionise worldwide internet access. The concomitant potential of these mega-constellations to impact space sustainability, however, has prompted concern from space actors as…
We propose an experiment using a conventional optical telescope to determine whether aberration of starlight results from special relativistic effects external to a measurement sensor or from optical effects within a sensor. The proposed…
We study how the precision of the exoplanet radius determination is affected by our present knowledge of limb darkening in two cases: when we fix the limb darkening coefficients and when we adjust them. We also investigate the effects of…
In order to get astrometric parameters achieving the precision permitted by the the forthcoming generation of astrometri cmeasurements, it will be necessary to take into account effects that were neglected until the present time. Two…
We devise a test of nonlinear departures from general relativity (GR) using time delays in strong gravitational lenses. We use a phenomenological model of gravitational screening as a step discontinuity in the measure of curvature per unit…
We study the deflection and gravitational lensing (GL) of both timelike and null signals in the equatorial plane of arbitrary stationary and axisymmetric spacetimes in the strong deflection limit. Our approach employs a perturbative method…
Studies of weak gravitational lensing by large-scale structures require the measurement of the distortions introduced to the shapes of distant galaxies at the few percent level by anisotropic light deflection along the line of sight. To…
The Laser Astrometric Test of Relativity (LATOR) is a Michelson-Morley-type experiment designed to test the Einstein's general theory of relativity in the most intense gravitational environment available in the solar system -- the close…
Magnetic fields are a fundamental part of the interstellar medium (ISM) and remain a challenge for building a comprehensive understanding of galactic properties. Their study requires far-infrared polarimetric observations, which provide an…
Advancement in astronomical observations and technical instrumentation implies taking into account the general relativistic effects due the gravitational fields encountered by the light while propagating from the star to the observer.…
ASTROD I is a planned interplanetary space mission with multiple goals. The primary aims are: to test General Relativity with an improvement in sensitivity of over 3 orders of magnitude, improving our understanding of gravity and aiding the…
In this paper we preliminarily explore the possibility of designing a dedicated satellite-based mission to measure the general relativistic gravitomagnetic Lense-Thirring effect in the gravitational field of Mars. The focus is on the…