Parametrized post-Newtonian Formalism Research Articles

Triangular solution to the planar elliptic three-body problem in the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism

Triangular solution to the planar elliptic three-body problem in the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism

Gravitational repulsion in an expanding ball of dust

In general relativity, there is a velocity dependent term in the gravitational acceleration of a test particle for an observer at infinity. Depending on the direction of motion and the speed, that term can be repulsive. We show that this is also the case in the Parametrized Post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism. We compute the magnitude of that repulsive term for an expanding sphere of dust observed at infinity, and find that it could mimic the effect of a cosmological constant. The time evolution of such an expanding ball of dust for an observer at infinity is calculated, and compared with the standard ΛCDM model. We find that the so-called coincidence problem does not exist for such a model as the energy density attributed to the expansion is always of the same order as the matter energy density.

Multi-scalar theories of gravity with direct matter couplings and their parametrized post-Newtonian parameters

We study theories of gravity including, in addition to the metric, several scalar fields in the gravitational sector. The particularity of this work is that we allow for direct couplings between these gravitating scalars and the matter sector, which can generally be different for the source and the probe of gravity, in addition to the universal interactions generated by the Jordan frame metric. The weak gravity regime of this theory, which would describe solar-system experiments, is studied using the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism. We derive the expression of the ten parameters of this formalism. Among them, ζ 3 and ζ 4 are modified with respect to their values in the theories without direct couplings. This fact holds even after eliminating the direct couplings between the gravitating scalars and the energy density of the source, by redefinition of the Jordan frame. All other PPN parameters are insensitive to the direct couplings once in the correctly identified Jordan frame. When direct couplings are different for the source and the probe of gravity, they make non-relativistic probes deviate from the geodesics of the PPN metric in this frame, already at Newtonian order. Such couplings would thus be directlydetectable and would have been excluded by experiments.This shows that, contrary to the claims in the recent literature, it is impossible to screen the presence of gravitating scalars relying only on a curved target space and direct couplings to matter.

The MPI + CUDA Gaia AVU–GSR Parallel Solver Toward Next-generation Exascale Infrastructures

We ported to the GPU with CUDA the Astrometric Verification Unit–Global Sphere Reconstruction (AVU–GSR) Parallel Solver developed for the ESA Gaia mission, by optimizing a previous OpenACC porting of this application. The code aims to find, with a [10, 100] μarcsec precision, the astrometric parameters of ∼108 stars, the attitude and instrumental settings of the Gaia satellite, and the global parameter γ of the parametrized Post-Newtonian formalism, by solving a system of linear equations, A × x = b , with the LSQR iterative algorithm. The coefficient matrix A of the final Gaia data set is large, with ∼1011 × 108 elements, and sparse, reaching a size of ∼10–100 TB, typical for the Big Data analysis, which requires an efficient parallelization to obtain scientific results in reasonable timescales. The speedup of the CUDA code over the original AVU–GSR solver, parallelized on the CPU with MPI + OpenMP, increases with the system size and the number of resources, reaching a maximum of ∼14×, >9× over the OpenACC application. This result is obtained by comparing the two codes on the CINECA cluster Marconi100, with 4 V100 GPUs per node. After verifying the agreement between the solutions of a set of systems with different sizes computed with the CUDA and the OpenMP codes and that the solutions showed the required precision, the CUDA code was put in production on Marconi100, essential for an optimal AVU–GSR pipeline and the successive Gaia Data Releases. This analysis represents a first step to understand the (pre-)Exascale behavior of a class of applications that follow the same structure of this code. In the next months, we plan to run this code on the pre-Exascale platform Leonardo of CINECA, with 4 next-generation A200 GPUs per node, toward a porting on this infrastructure, where we expect to obtain even higher performances.

Collinear and triangular solutions to the coplanar and circular three-body problem in the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism

This paper investigates the coplanar and circular three-body problem in the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism, for which we focus on a class of fully conservative theories characterized by the Eddington-Robertson parameters $\beta$ and $\gamma$. It is shown that there can still exist a collinear equilibrium configuration and a triangular one, each of which is a generalization of the post-Newtonian equilibrium configuration in general relativity. The collinear configuration can exist for arbitrary mass ratio, $\beta$, and $\gamma$. On the other hand, the PPN triangular configuration depends on the nonlinearity parameter $\beta$ but not on $\gamma$. For any value of $\beta$, the equilateral configuration is possible, if and only if three finite masses are equal or two test masses orbit around one finite mass. For general mass cases, the PPN triangle is not equilateral as in the post-Newtonian case. It is shown also that the PPN displacements from the Lagrange points in the Newtonian gravity $L_1$, $L_2$ and $L_3$ depend on $\beta$ and $\gamma$, whereas those to $L_4$ and $L_5$ rely only on $\beta$.

Parametrized post-Newtonian limit of generalized scalar-nonmetricity theories of gravity

In this article we calculate the post-Newtonian limit of a general class of scalar-nonmetricity theories of gravity. The action is assumed to be a free function of the nonmetricity scalar, the kinetic term of the scalar field, two derivative couplings and the scalar field itself. We use the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism to solve the arising field equations for the case of a massless scalar field in order to compare several subclasses of this theory to solar system observations. In particular, we find several classes of theories which are indistinguishable from general relativity on the post-Newtonian level and therefore, should be studied further. Most remarkably, we find that this is the generic case, while a post-Newtonian limit that deviates from general relativity occurs only for a particular coupling between the scalar field and nonmetricity.

Parametrized post-Newtonian limit of the Nieh-Yan modified teleparallel gravity

The recently proposed Nieh-Yan modified teleparallel gravity is a parity-violating gravity model that modifies the general relativity equivalent teleparallel gravity by a Nieh-Yan term. This model is healthy and simple in form. In this paper, we consider the application of this model to the Solar System and investigate its slow-motion and weak-field approximation in terms of the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism. We find that all the post-Newtonian parameters of the model are the same as those of general relativity, which makes the model compatible with the Solar System experiments.

Gauge-Invariant Post-Newtonian Perturbations in Symmetric Teleparallel Gravity

We present an extension to the gauge-invariant formulation of the parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism, which allows its application to symmetric teleparallel gravity theories. In its original formulation, the gauge-invariant PPN formalism makes use of a gauge-invariant perturbative expansion of tensor fields; however, one of the fundamental gravitational field variables in symmetric teleparallel gravity theories is a flat, torsion-free connection, hence not a tensor field. Since connections transform differently from tensor fields under diffeomorphisms, we introduce here an adapted notion of gauge-invariant perturbation variables for the symmetric teleparallel connection, and show how the lowest order terms can be expressed in terms of the common PPN potentials.

XPPN: an implementation of the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism using xAct for Mathematica

We present a package for the computer algebra system Mathematica, which implements the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism. This package, named xPPN, is built upon the widely used tensor algebra package suite xAct, and in particular the package xTensor therein. The main feature of xPPN is to provide functions to perform a proper 3+1 decomposition of tensors, as well as a perturbative expansion in so-called velocity orders, which are central tasks in the PPN formalism. Further, xPPN implements various rules for quantities appearing in the PPN formalism, which aid in perturbatively solving the field equations of any metric theory of gravity. Besides Riemannian geometry, also teleparallel and symmetric teleparallel geometry are implemented.

Precession of spheroids under Lorentz violation and observational consequences for neutron stars

The Standard-Model Extension (SME) is an effective-field-theoretic framework that catalogs all Lorentz-violating field operators. The anisotropic correction from the minimal gravitational SME to Newtonian gravitational energy for spheroids is studied, and the rotation of rigid spheroids is solved with the perturbation method and numerical approach. The well-known forced precession solution given by Nordtvedt in the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism is recovered and applied to two observed solitary millisecond pulsars to set bounds on the coefficients for Lorentz violation in the SME framework. A different solution, which describes the rotation of an otherwise free-precessing star in the presence of Lorentz violation, is found, and its consequences on pulsar signals and continuous gravitational waves emitted by neutron stars (NSs) are investigated. The study provides new possible tests of Lorentz violation once free-precessing NSs are firmly identified in the future.

Post-Newtonian limit of generalized symmetric teleparallel gravity

In this article we analyze the post-Newtonian approximation of a generalization of the symmetric teleparallel gravity with the help of the parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism. This class of theories is based on a free function of the five independent quadratic contractions of the non-metricity tensor. By calculating the PPN metric of these theories, we can restrict the Taylor coefficients of the free function with the help of the PPN parameters and their observational bounds. We find two families of theories whose PPN parameters are identical to those of general relativity, and thus in full agreement with observations. For three further families, we find that only the PPN parameters $\beta$ and $\gamma$ deviate, but can be brought arbitrarily close to their general relativity values by an appropriate choice of the Lagrangian, so that also these families contain candidate theories which agree with observations. The remaining theories either possess no well-defined solution of the post-Newtonian field equations, or possess a post-Newtonian limit which exceeds the form assumed in the PPN formalism.

Black hole shadow to probe modified gravity

We study the black hole's shadow for Schwarzschild - de Sitter and Kerr - de Sitter metrics with the contribution of the cosmological constant \Lambda. Based on the reported parameters of the M87* black hole shadow we obtain constraints for the $\Lambda$ and show the agreement with the cosmological data. It is shown that, the coupling of the \Lambda-term with the spin parameter reveals peculiarities for the photon spheres and hence for the shadows. Within the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism the constraint for the corresponding \Lambda-determined parameter is obtained.

Palatini f(R) gravity in the solar system: Post-Newtonian equations of motion and complete PPN parameters

We perform a post-Newtonian (PN) solar system analysis for Palatini $f(R)$ theories considering finite volume non-spherical planets and with emphasis to $f(R)$ functions that are analytical about $R=0$. First we consider the Will-Nordtvedt parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism, from which the metric is shown to depend, in general, on terms not covered by the standard PPN potentials. Hence, a full analysis of the PN equations of motion is performed. From the latter we conclude that, apart from redefinitions on the internal energy and the pressure, which cannot be constrained by solar system tests, the center-of-mass orbits are the same as in general relativity. We discuss further the physics of these redefinitions and use an argument to extend our analytical $f(R)$ results towards some non-analytical functions.

Do solar system experiments constrain scalar\u2013tensor gravity?

It is now established that, contrary to common belief, (electro-)vacuum Brans–Dicke gravity does not reduce to general relativity (GR) for large values of the Brans–Dicke coupling omega . Since the essence of experimental tests of scalar–tensor gravity consists of providing lower bounds on omega , in light of the misguided assumption of the equivalence between the limit omega rightarrow infty and the GR limit of Brans–Dicke gravity, the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism on which these tests are based could be in jeopardy. We show that, in the linearized approximation used by the PPN formalism, the anomaly in the limit to general relativity disappears. However, it survives to second (and higher) order and in strong gravity. In other words, while the weak gravity regime cannot tell apart GR and omega rightarrow infty Brans–Dicke gravity, when higher order terms in the PPN analysis of Brans–Dicke gravity are included, the latter never reduces to the one of GR in this limit. This fact is relevant for experiments aiming to test second order light deflection and Shapiro time delay.

Gauge-invariant approach to the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism

We present an approach to the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism which is based on gauge-invariant higher order perturbation theory. This approach divides the components of the metric perturbations into gauge-invariant quantities, which carry information about the physical system under consideration, and pure gauge quantities, which describe the choice of the coordinate system. This separation generally leads to a simplification of the PPN procedure, since only the gauge-invariant quantities appear in the field equations and must be determined by solving them. Another simplification arises from the fact that the gauge-invariant approach supersedes the necessity to first choose a gauge for solving the gravitational field equations and later transforming the obtained solution into the standard PPN gauge, as it is conventionally done in the PPN formalism, whose standard PPN gauge is determined only after the full solution is known. In addition to the usual metric formulation, we also present a tetrad formulation of the gauge-invariant PPN formalism. To illustrate their practical application, we demonstrate the calculation of the PPN parameters of a well-known scalar-tensor class of theories.

Post-Newtonian limit of generalized scalar-torsion theories of gravity

In this article we derive the post-Newtonian limit of a class of teleparallel theories of gravity, where the action is a free function $L(T,X,Y,\phi)$ of the Torsion scalar $T$ and scalar quantities $X$ and $Y$ built from the dynamical scalar field $\phi$. We restrict the analysis to a massless scalar field in order to use the parameterized post-Newtonian formalism without modifications, such as introducing an effective gravitational constant which depends on the distance between the interacting masses. In particular the results show a class of fully-conservative theories of gravity, where the only non-vanishing parameters are $\gamma$ and $\beta$. For a particular choice of the function $L(T,X,Y,\phi)$ the theory cannot be distinguished from General Relativity in its post-Newtonian approximation.

Test of general relativity during the BepiColombo interplanetary cruise to Mercury

The theory of general relativity first introduced the concept that space-time is curved by the presence of masses. As a consequence, any signal between two sources passing by a massive body is deflected and therefore experiences a transmission time delay with respect to the straight-line propagation. In the parametrized Post-Newtonian formalism---which makes use of a set of post-Newtonian parameters to describe all metric theories of gravitation that assume Einstein equivalence principle---the curvature of space-time is accounted for by the parameter $\ensuremath{\gamma}$. In general relativity $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ is equal to unity. The measure of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ is one of the most popular general relativity tests that have been undertaken since 1919. The current state-of-the-art measure of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ is $\ensuremath{\gamma}=1+(2.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}5}$, obtained by radio tracking of the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens satellite near solar superior conjunction (Superior Conjunction Experiment---SCE). The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury will perform a SCE during its cruise-phase. Thanks to a more advanced telecommunication system, made up of a X/X, Ka/Ka, X/Ka multifrequency link, BepiColombo will allow range measurements as accurate as 15 cm at 300 s integration time and range-rate (or Doppler) measurements at the level of $1.5\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$ at 1000 s integration time, one-way. In this work we present the results of the numerical simulations of the BepiColombo SCE with the ORBIT14 orbit determination and parameter estimation software, developed at the University of Pisa. Our software is able to simulate measurements of range and range-rate of the BepiColombo probe during solar superior conjunction and obtain an estimate of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ based on a non-linear least squares fit. Through a thorough and complete analysis, which includes the study of the impact of possible systematic errors in the range observables, we show that BepiColombo has the capability to improve the result yielded by Cassini up to a factor 10.

Post-Newtonian parameters γ and β of scalar-tensor gravity for a homogeneous gravitating sphere

We calculate the parameters $\gamma$ and $\beta$ in the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism for scalar-tensor gravity (STG) with an arbitrary potential, under the assumption that the source matter is given by a non-rotating sphere of constant density, pressure and internal energy. For our calculation we write the STG field equations in a form which is manifestly invariant under conformal transformations of the metric and redefinitions of the scalar field. This easily shows that also the obtained PPN parameters are invariant under such transformations. Our result is consistent with the expectation that STG is a fully conservative theory, i.e., only $\gamma$ and $\beta$ differ from their general relativity values $\gamma = \beta = 1$, which indicates the absence of preferred frame and preferred location effects. We find that the values of the PPN parameters depend on both the radius of the gravitating mass source and the distance between the source and the observer. Most interestingly, we find that also at large distances from the source $\beta$ does not approach $\beta = 1$, but receives corrections due to a modified gravitational self-energy of the source. Finally, we compare our result to a number of measurements of $\gamma$ and $\beta$ in the Solar System. We find that in particular measurements of $\beta$ improve the previously obtained bounds on the theory parameters, due to the aforementioned long-distance corrections.

Will-Nordtvedt PPN formalism applied to renormalization group extensions of general relativity

Here we apply the full Will-Nordtvedt version of the Parameterized Post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism to a class of General Relativity extensions that are based on nontrivial renormalization group (RG) effects at large scales. We focus on a class of models in which the gravitational coupling constant $G$ is correlated with the Newtonian potential. A previous PPN analysis considered a specific realization of the RG effects, and only within the Eddington-Robertson-Schiff version of the PPN formalism, which is a less complete and robust PPN formulation. Here we find stronger, more precise bounds, and with less assumptions. We also consider the External Potential Effect (EPE), which is an effect that is intrinsic to this framework and depends on the system environment (it has some qualitative similarities to the screening mechanisms of modified gravity theories). We find a single particular RG realization that is not affected by the EPE. Some physical systems have been pointed out as candidates for measuring the possible RG effects in gravity at large scales, for any of them the Solar System bounds need to be considered.

Effective Gravitational “Constant” in Scalar-(Curvature)Tensor and Scalar-Torsion Gravities

In theories where a scalar field couples nonminimally to gravity, the effective gravitational “constant” becomes dependent on the value of the scalar field. This note first gives a brief review on how the cosmological evolution provides a dynamical stabilization for the gravitational “constant” as the system relaxes towards general relativity in matter dominated and potential dominated regimes for scalar-(curvature)tensor and scalar-torsion gravities. Second part summarizes the radius dependence of the gravitational “constant” around a point mass in the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism for scalar-tensor and multiscalar-tensor gravity.