Testing Gravitational Theories in the Field of the Earth with the SaToR-G Experiment

Abstract

A new satellite-based experiment in the field of gravitation, SaToR-G, is presented. It aims to compare the predictions of different theories of gravitation in the limit of weak-field and slow-motion. The ultimate goal of SaToR-G is searching for possible “new physics” beyond General Relativity, which represent the state-of-the-art of our current knowledge of gravitational physics. A key role in the above perspective is the theoretical and experimental framework that confines our work. To this end, we will exploit as much as possible the classical framework suggested by R.H. Dicke over fifty years ago.

Keywords

• general relativity
• Dicke’s framework
• alternative theories of gravitation
• weak gravitational fields
• PPN formalism
• LAGEOS and LARES satellites