On the possibility of measuring the gravitomagnetic clock effect in an Earth space-based experiment
Abstract
In this paper the effect of the post-Newtonian gravitomagnetic force on the mean longitudes l of a pair of counter-rotating Earth artificial satellites following almost identical circular equatorial orbits is investigated and the possibility of measuring it is examined. The observable is the difference of the times required for l to pass from 0 to 2π for both senses of motion. Such a gravitomagnetic time shift, which is independent of the orbital parameters of the satellites, amounts to 5×10-7 s for the Earth; it is cumulative and should be measurable after a sufficiently high number of revolutions. The major limiting factors are the unavoidable imperfect cancellation of the Keplerian periods, which yields a constraint of 10-2 cm in knowing the difference between the semimajor axes a of the satellites, and the difference I of the inclinations i of the orbital planes which, for i ~ 0.01°, should be less than 0.006°. A pair of spacecraft endowed with a sophisticated intersatellite tracking apparatus and drag-free control down to 10-9 cm s-2 Hz-1/2 level might allow us to meet the stringent requirements posed by such a mission.
- Publication:
-
Classical and Quantum Gravity
- Pub Date:
- January 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1088/0264-9381/22/1/008
- arXiv:
- arXiv:gr-qc/0210030
- Bibcode:
- 2005CQGra..22..119I
- Keywords:
-
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- LaTex2e, 22 pages, no tables, 1 figure, 38 references. Final version accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravity