Abstract
The experimental measurement of frame-dragging or the Lense-Thirring (LT) effect based on Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) observations to the LAGEOS satellites was successfully demonstrated with an accuracy of about 10%. Here we look in detail into the effect of the node drift induced by the time variable part of the C(2,0) term of the gravity field model describing the flattening of the Earth. We demonstrate that errors in C(2,0) can effectively be taken care of by analyzing two satellites for the LT measurement. We also adopt some recent gravity field models in order to independently repeat and extend the LT experiments so far. The gravity field models used for this are derived either partly depending on LAGEOS SLR observations or completely independent from LAGEOS, and based on dedicated gravity field satellite missions like CHAMP, GRACE and GOCE. It turns out that from all the gravity field models tested the claimed accuracy of 10% of the LT measurement can be confirmed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
A. Einstein, Letter to Ernst Mach, 25 June 1913, in Gravitation ed. by C. Misner, K.S. Thorne, J.A. Wheeler (Freeman, San Francisco, 1973), p. 544
J. Lense, H. Thirring, Über den Einfluss der Eigenrotation der Zentralkörper auf die Bewegung der Planeten und Monde nach der Einsteinschen Gravitationstheorie. Phys. Z. 19, 156 (1918)
K.S. Thorne, R.H. Price, D.A. Macdonald, The Membrane Paradigm (Yale University Press, New Haven, 1986)
B.P. Abbott et al., Observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger. Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 061102 (2016)
I. Ciufolini, Measurement of the Lense-Thirring drag on high-altitude, laser-ranged artificial satellites. Phys. Rev. Lett. 56, 278–281 (1986)
I. Ciufolini, E. Pavlis, F. Chieppa, E. Fernandes-Vieira, J. Perez-Mercader, Test of general relativity and measurement of the Lense-Thirring effect with two Earth satellites. Science 279, 2100–2103 (1998)
F.G. Lemoine, S.C. Kenyon, J.K. Factor, R.G. Trimmer, N.K. Pavlis, D.S. Chinn, C.M. Cox, S.M. Klosko, S.B. Luthcke, M.H. Torrence, Y.M. Wang, R.G. Williamson, E.C. Pavlis, R.H. Rapp, and T.R. Olson. The development of the joint NASA GSFC and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) geopotential model EGM96. NASA Technical Paper NASA/TP1998206861, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, USA (1998)
R.L. Spencer, LAGEOS - a geodynamics tool in the making. J. Geol. Educ. 25(2), 38–42 (1977)
ILRS. Lageos-1/-2, https://ilrs.cddis.eosdis.nasa.gov/missions/satellite_missions/current_missions/lag1_general.html. Accessed 12 March 2018
I. Ciufolini, E.C. Pavlis, A confirmation of the general relativistic prediction of the Lense-Thirring effect. Nature 431, 958–960 (2004)
C. Reigber, R. Schmidt, F. Flechtner, R. Koenig, U. Meyer, K.-H. Neumayer, P. Schwintzer, S.Y. Zhu, An Earth gravity field model complete to degree and order 150 from GRACE\(:\) EIGEN-GRACE02S. J. Geodyn. 39(1), 1–10 (2005)
B.D. Tapley, S. Bettadpur, M.M. Watkins, Ch. Reigber, The gravity recovery and climate experiment: mission overview and early results. Geophys. Res. Lett. 31, L09607 (2004)
T.V. Martin, W.F. Eddy, D.D. Rowlands, D.E. Pavlis, GEODYN II system description. EG&G Contractor Report, Lanham, MD (1987)
S. Zhu, Ch. Reigber, R. Koenig, Integrated adjustment of CHAMP, GRACE, and GPS data. J. Geod. 78(1–2), 103–108 (2004)
B.E. Schutz, B.D. Tapley, UTOPIA: University of Texas Orbit Processor. Inst. for Advanced Study in Orbital Mechanics, University of Texas at Austin, IASOM TR 80-1 (1980)
R. Koenig, B. Moreno-Monge, G. Michalak, Some aspects and perspectives of measuring Lense-Thirring with GNSS and geodetic satellites, in Second International LARES Science Workshop, Accademia dei Lincei, Rome (2012)
J.C. Ries, R.J. Eanes, M.M. Watkins, Confirming the frame-dragging effect with satellite laser ranging, in Proceedings 16th international workshop on laser ranging, http://cddis.gsfc.nasa.gov/lw16/docs/presentations/sci_3_Ries.pdf. Accessed 30 April 2018
I. Ciufolini, A. Paolozzi, E.C. Pavlis, J. Ries, R. Koenig, R. Matzner, G. Sindoni, The LARES space experiment: LARES orbit, error analysis and satellite structure, in John Archibald Wheeler and General Relativity, ed. by I. Ciufolini, R. Matzner (Springer, Berlin, 2010), pp. 371–434
I. Ciufolini, A. Paolozzi, E.C. Pavlis, R. Koenig, J. Ries, V. Gurzadyan, R. Matzner, R. Penrose, G. Sindoni, C. Paris, H. Khachatryan, S. Mirzoyan, A test of general relativity using the LARES and LAGEOS satellites and a GRACE Earth gravity model. Eur. Phys. J. C 76, 120 (2016)
I. Ciufolini, A. Paolozzi, E.C. Pavlis, G. Sindoni, R. Koenig, J.C. Ries, R. Matzner, V. Gurzadyan, R. Penrose, D. Rubincam, C. Paris, A new laser-ranged satellite for General Relativity and space geodesy: I. An introduction to the LARES2 space experiment. Eur. Phys. J. Plus 132, 336 (2017)
C. Foerste, S.L. Bruinsma, R. Shako, J.C. Marty, F. Flechtner, O. Abrikosov, C. Dahle, J.M. Lemoine, K.H. Neumayer, R. Biancale, F. Barthelmes, R. Koenig, G. Balmino, EIGEN-6C - A new combined global gravity field model including GOCE data from the collaboration of GFZ-Potsdam and GRGS-Toulouse. Geophysical Research Abstracts, vol. 13, EGU2011-3242-2, EGU General Assembly (2011)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
König, R., Ciufolini, I. (2019). Measurement of Frame Dragging with Geodetic Satellites Based on Gravity Field Models from CHAMP, GRACE and Beyond. In: Puetzfeld, D., Lämmerzahl, C. (eds) Relativistic Geodesy. Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol 196. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11500-5_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11500-5_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-11499-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-11500-5
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)