Einstein Gravity Explorer-a medium-class fundamental physics mission

Year: 2009

Authors: Schilller S., Tino G.M, Gill P., Salomon C., Sterr U., Peik E., Nevsky A., Goerlitz A., Svehla D., Ferrari G., Poli N., Lusanna L., Klein H., Margolis H., Lemonde P., Laurent P., Santarelli G., Clairon A., Ertmer W., Rasel E., Mueller J., Iorio L., Laemmerzah C., Dittus H., Gill E., Rothacher M., Flechner F., Schreiber U., Flambaum V., Ni Wei-Tou Ni, Liu Liang, Chen Xuzong, Chen Jingbao B., Gao Kelin L., Cacciapuoti L., Holzwarth R., Hess M.P., Schaefer W.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Dusseldorf, Inst Expt Phys, D-40225 Dusseldorf, Germany; Univ Florence, CNR, Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Sez Firenze,LENS Lab, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Florence, Dipartimento Fis, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Natl Phys Lab, Teddington TW11 0LW, Middx, England; Ecole Normale Super, Lab Kastler Brossel, F-75231 Paris, France; Phys Tech Bundesanstalt, D-38116 Braunschweig, Germany; Tech Univ Munich, Inst Astron & Phys Geodesy, D-80333 Munich, Germany; Polo Sci, Sez Firenze, INFN, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Observ Paris, LNE SYRTE, F-75014 Paris, France; Leibniz Univ Hannover, Inst Quantenopt, D-30167 Hannover, Germany; Leibniz Univ Hannover, Inst Erdmessung, D-30167 Hannover, Germany; Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Sez Pisa, I-70125 Bari, Italy; Univ Bremen, Ctr Appl Space Technol & Micrograv ZARM, D-28359 Bremen, Germany; Delft Univ Technol, Dept Earth Observat & Space Syst, NL-2629 HS Delft, Netherlands; Geoforschungszentrum Potsdam, D-14473 Potsdam, Germany; Fundamentalstn Wettzell, D-93444 Bad Koetzting, Germany; Univ New S Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Chinese Acad Sci, Purple Mt Observ, Nanjing 210008, Peoples R China; Chinese Acad Sci Jiading, Shanghai Inst Opt & Fine Mech, Shanghai 201800, Peoples R China; Peking Univ, Sch Elect Engn & Comp Sci, Inst Quantum Elect, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China; Chinese Acad Sci, Wuhan Inst Phys & Math, Wuhan 430071, Peoples R China; Estec, ESA, Res & Sci Support Dept, NL-2200 AG Noordwijk, Netherlands; Max Planck Inst Quantum Opt, D-85748 Garching, Germany; Menlo Syst GmbH, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany; ASTRIUM Space Transportat, D-88093 Friedrichshafen, Germany; TimeTech GmbH, D-70563 Stuttgart, Germany

Abstract: The Einstein Gravity Explorer mission (EGE) is devoted to a precise measurement of the properties of space-time using atomic clocks. It tests one of the most fundamental predictions of Einstein\’s Theory of General Relativity, the gravitational redshift, and thereby searches for hints of quantum effects in gravity, exploring one of the most important and challenging frontiers in fundamental physics. The primary mission goal is the measurement of the gravitational redshift with an accuracy up to a factor 104 higher than the best current result. The mission is based on a satellite carrying cold atom-based clocks. The payload includes a cesium microwave clock (PHARAO), an optical clock, a femtosecond frequency comb, as well as precise microwave time transfer systems between space and ground. The tick rates of the clocks are continuously compared with each other, and nearly continuously with clocks on earth, during the course of the 3-year mission. The highly elliptic orbit of the satellite is optimized for the scientific goals, providing a large variation in the gravitational potential between perigee and apogee. Besides the fundamental physics results, as secondary goals EGE will establish a global reference frame for the Earth\’s gravitational potential and will allow a new approach to mapping Earth’s gravity field with very high spatial resolution. The mission was proposed as a class-M mission to ESA\’s Cosmic Vision Program 2015–2025.

Journal/Review: EXPERIMENTAL ASTRONOMY (PRINT)

Volume: 23 (2)      Pages from: 573  to: 610

KeyWords: space physics; general relativity; gravity; clock; atoms
DOI: 10.1007/s10686-008-9126-5

Citations: 93
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