Skip to main content
Log in

The confrontation between general relativity and experiment

  • Published:
Pramana Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We review the experimental evidence for Einstein’s general relativity. Tests of the Einstein equivalence principle support the postulates of curved space-time and bound variations of fundamental constants in space and time, while solar system experiments strongly confirm weak-field general relativity. The binary pulsar provides tests of gravitational wave damping and of strong-field general relativity. Future experiments, such as the gravity probe B gyroscope experiment, a satellite test of the equivalence principle, and tests of gravity at short distance to look for extra spatial dimensions could further constrain alternatives to general relativity. Laser Interferometric Gravitational Wave Observatories on Earth and in space may provide new tests of scalar-tensor gravity and graviton-mass theories via the properties of gravitational waves.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. C M Will,Theory and experiment in gravitational physics (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1993)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. C M Will,Liv. Rev. Relativ. 4, 2001 (2001); http://www.livingreviews.org/Articles/Volume4/2001-4will

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  3. C M Will,Phys. Today 52, 38 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  4. S Baessler, B R Heckel, E G Adelberger, J H Gundlach, U Schmidt and H E Swanson,Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 3585 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. M P Haugan and C M Will,Phys. Today 40, 69 (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  6. T Jacobson, S Liberati and D Mattingly,Phys. Rev. D67, 124011 (2003)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. A Kostelecky and M Mewes,Phys. Rev. D66, 056005 (2002)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. C Salomon, Y Sortais, S Bize, M Abgrall, S Zhang, C Nicolas, C Mandache, P Lemonde, P Laurent, G Santarelli, A Clairon, N Dimarcq, P Petit, A Mann, A Luiten and S Chang, inProc. Int. Conf. Atomic Physics 2000 edited by M Inguscio and E Arimondo (World Scientific, Singapore) (in Press)

    Google Scholar 

  9. T Damour and F Dyson,Nucl. Phys. B480, 37 (1996)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. C J A P Martins (ed.),The cosmology of extra dimensions and varying fundamental constants (Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands, 2003) Also published inAstrophys. Space Sci. 283, 439 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  11. B Bertotti, L Iess and P Tortora,Nature 425, 374 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. M Bailes, S M Ord, H S Knight and A W Hotan,Astrophys. J. Lett. 595, L52 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. J C Long, H W Chan and J C Price,Nucl. Phys. B539, 23 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. C D Hoyle, U Schmidt, B R Heckel, E G Adelberger, J H Gundlach, D J Kapner and H E Swanson,Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1418 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. K S Thorne, in300 Years of Gravitation edited by S W Hawking and W Israel (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1987) p. 330

    Google Scholar 

  16. B C Barish and R Weiss,Phys. Today 52, 44 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  17. M Visser,Gen. Relativ. Gravit. 30, 1717 (1998)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. C M Will,Phys. Rev. D57, 2061 (1998)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. C Cutler, T A Apostolatos, L Bildsten, L S Finn, É E Flanagan, D Kennefick, D M Marković, A Ori, E Poisson, G J Sussman and K S Thorne,Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2984 (1993)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. C Talmadge, J-P Berthias, R W Hellings and E M Standish,Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 1159 (1988)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. C M Will,Phys. Rev. D50, 6058 (1994)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. P D Scharre and C M Will,Phys. Rev. D65, 042002 (2002)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. C M Will and N Yunes,Class. Quantum Gravit. 21, 4367 (2004); gr-qc/0403100

    Article  MATH  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. M C Miller,Astrophys. J. 581, 438 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Will, C.M. The confrontation between general relativity and experiment. Pramana - J Phys 63, 731–740 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02705195

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02705195

Keyword

PACS No.

Navigation