Modern experimental limits of gravity
Gen Zhang
There are a few chapters on experimental verification of general
relativity, and other theories of gravity (chapters 38-40). I was
wondering if anyone knew a review or otherwise collection of papers on
the subject, post-MTW? What new theories have been proposed? Which
ones have been ruled out by experiment? Has the equivalence principle
been verified further?
Thanks in advance,
Gen Zhang
Uncle Al
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_principle
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equivalence_principle#Tests_of_the_weak_equivalence_principle>
The Equivalence Principle is verified for all independent compositions
of matter,
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/lajos.htm#b1
spinning masses (gyroscopes),
Phys. Rev. D 66 022002 (2002)
quantum spins (magnets),
<http://www.npl.washington.edu/eotwash/publications/pdf/prl97-021603.pdf>
<http://www.npl.washington.edu/eotwash/publications/publication.html>
and relativistic binary pulsars
http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0609417
<http://www.oakland.edu/physics/mog29/mog29.pdf>
All possible observable Equivalence Principle violations based on
symmetry-derived fundamental obserables have been tested,
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/lajos.htm#b5
except one: spacetime geometry versus test mass geometry. Do local
left and right shoes vacuum free fall along *divergent* minimum action
trajectories? Mass distribution parity is not a Noetherian symmetry
for being absolutely discontinuous and discrete. General Relativity
(GR) models continuous spacetime, going beyond conformal symmetry
(scale independence) to symmetry under all smooth coordinate
transformations - general covariance (the stress-energy tensor
embodying local energy and momentum) - resisting quantization. GR is
invariant under transformations of the diffeomorphism group.
Covariance with respect to reflection in space and time is not
required by the Poincaré group of Special Relativity or the Einstein
group of General Relativity.
Do chemically identical opposite parity mass distributions
reproducibly violate the EP? Affine, teleparallel, and noncommtuative
gravitation theories allow a chiral vacuum background while wholly
containing GR as a restricted case, EP=true. Given left footed
vacuum, local left and right shoes will fit with unequal energies and
free fall along divergent trajectories. Socks will not care.
Opposite parity mass distributions of rigidly bound, densely packed
atomic nuclei near-perfectly arrayed in space and summed to
macroscopic dimensions form spontaneously. Quality single crystals of
anything crystallizing in opposite parity space groups P3(1)21 and
P3(2)1 are calculated satisfactory. Opposed sets of hydrothermally
cultured P3(1)21 and P3(2)1 alpha-quartz solid single crystal spheres
allow a parity Eotvos experiment. A faster, cheaper, and more
sensitive EP parity calorimetric test is proposed,
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/lajos.htm#a2
Somebody should look.
A chiral non-rotating body translating through an interactive medium
will experience a consistent torque. This is *not* relevant to EP
parity tests.
HK Moffat, "Six lectures on general fluid dynamics and two on
hydromagnetic dynamo theory," pp. 175ff in R Balian & J-L Peube (eds),
"Fluid Dynamics" (Gordon and Breach, 1977)
http://www.igf.fuw.edu.pl/KB/HKM/PDF/HKM_027_s.pdf
3.5 megabytes
pdf pp. 25-27, calculation of the chiral case.
--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/lajos.htm#a2
rlolders...@amherst.edu
You might try searching on "Clifford Will". I think he specializes in
this subject area.
Rob
Andreas Most
Ralph Loader
http://relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrr-2006-3/
"The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment"
by Clifford M. Will. (Focus is on verification of GR rather than
distinguishing it from alternatives).
Ralph.
Gen Zhang
> Try
>
> http://relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrr-2006-3/
>
> "The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment"
>
> by Clifford M. Will. (Focus is on verification of GR rather than
> distinguishing it from alternatives).
>
> Ralph.
Actually, I was more interested in distinguishing it from
alternatives. One of the more "fun" bits in MTW was the chapter on
parametric post-Newtonian (PPN) approximations. I liked the elegance,
strangely enough. I was wondering if a post-PPN model had been
created, such that we could distinguish between, say, GR, teleparallel
gravity, and gauge-theory-gravity (the Geometric Algebra approach by
the Cambridge people)?
Gen
Jonathan Thornburg
> I've been looking through Gravitation by Misner, Thorne and Wheeler.
> There are a few chapters on experimental verification of general
> relativity, and other theories of gravity (chapters 38-40). I was
> wondering if anyone knew a review or otherwise collection of papers on
> the subject, post-MTW? What new theories have been proposed? Which
> ones have been ruled out by experiment? Has the equivalence principle
> been verified further?
Others have already suggested Clifford M Will's article
http://relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrr-2006-3/
which is an excellent review article on the general subject of
experimental tests of general relativity, including an extensive
bibliography.
Will is also the author of a superb technical book on this subject,
"Theory and Experiment in Gravitational Physics" (Cambridge U.P., 1st
edition 1992, I think there is also a newer edition out), which goes
into more detail than his Living Reviews paper.
He has also written a non-technical book on this topic
@book {
author = "Clifford M. Will",
title = "Was Einstein Right?: Putting General Relativity to the Test",
Edition = "2nd",
Publisher = "Perseus/Basic Books",
isbn = "0-465-09086-9 (paperback)",
year = "1993 (2nd edition may be newer??)",
}
ciao,
--
-- Jonathan Thornburg (remove -animal to reply) <J.Tho...@soton.ac-zebra.uk>
School of Mathematics, U of Southampton, England
"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the
powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral."
-- quote by Freire / poster by Oxfam