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Summary of session C9: experimental gravitation

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Abstract

General relativity (GR) is based on the Universality of Free Fall, the Universality of the Gravitational Redshift, and Local Lorentz Invariance, alltogether called the Einstein Equivalence principle. This implies that gravity has to be described by a metrical theory. Such theories in general give rise to the standard effects like perihelion shift, light deflection, gravitational time delay, Lense-Thirring effect, and the Schiff effect. Only if the underlying theory is Einstein’s GR we have certain values for these effects. GR in turn predicts the existence, certain properties, and a particular dynamics of gravitational waves, black holes, binary systems, etc. which are also subject to experimental/observational proof. This includes practical applications in clock synchronization, positioning, navigation and geodesy.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the center of excellence QUEST for support. C.L. also would like to acknowledge the support of the DFG funded Research Training Group 1620 “Models of Gravity”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ZARM, University of Bremen, Am Fallturm, 28359 , Bremen, Germany

    Claus Lämmerzahl

  2. Institute of Geodesy (Institut für Erdmessung IfE), Leibniz Universität Hannover, Schneiderberg 50, 30167 , Hannover, Germany

    Jürgen Müller

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  1. Claus Lämmerzahl
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  2. Jürgen Müller
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Correspondence to Claus Lämmerzahl.

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This article belongs to the Topical Collection: The First Century of General Relativity: GR20/Amaldi10.

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Lämmerzahl, C., Müller, J. Summary of session C9: experimental gravitation. Gen Relativ Gravit 46, 1701 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10714-014-1701-7

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