Abstract
A new experiment in the field of gravitation, SaToR-G, is presented. The experiment aims to compare the predictions of different theories of gravitation in the limit of weak field and slow motion. The ultimate goal of the experiment is to look for possible "new physics" beyond the current standard model of gravitation based on the predictions of general relativity. A key role in the above perspective is the theoretical and experimental framework within which to confine our work. To this end, we make our best efforts to exploit the framework suggested by Dicke over 50 years ago.
Highlights
Measuring the orbits of artificial satellites allows testing GR vs. other metric theories in their most profound aspects related to the curvature of spacetime, geodesic motion, and field equations
What instead profoundly distinguishes GR from the other metric theories of gravitation are the equations of the gravitational field, that is, how the mass–energy of the field orders the geometry of spacetime to curve [2]
Within the SaToR-G strategy to test a theory of gravity, we are interested in recovering the more general approach from which the parameterized post–Newtonian (PPN) formalism itself, in its current version, was basically born
Summary
Measuring the orbits of artificial satellites allows testing GR vs. other metric theories in their most profound aspects related to the curvature of spacetime, geodesic motion, and field equations. From a practical point of view, it appears that Dicke’s framework has not been fully exploited in the past, and the main tests and measurements of GR have been based on measurements of PPN parameters. This aspect is largely true in the case of gravitational measurements within the solar system, that is, in the case of weak fields (that Thorne and Will were primarily concerned with, in 1971), but it is valid in the context of almost strong fields such as those tested more recently in relativistic astrophysics [27,28]. We believe that an effort to reconsider the Dicke framework is appropriate and of interest, even these days, to test the foundation of gravitation, especially in those aspects that are not fully covered by the PPN framework
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
