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Prospects for Measuring Planetary Spin and Frame-Dragging in Spacecraft Timing Signals
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Submitted 2 Jul 2017
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim Frame-dragging appears, in principle, measurable by Juno and Cassini, though not by Galileo 5 and 6.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
Satellite tracking involves sending electromagnetic signals to Earth. Both the orbit of the spacecraft and the electromagnetic signals themselves are affected by the curvature of spacetime. The arrival time of the pulses is compared to the ticks of local clocks to reconstruct the orbital path of the satellite to high accuracy, and to implicitly measure general relativistic effects. In particular, Schwarzschild space curvature (static) and frame-dragging (stationary) due to the planet's spin affect the satellite's orbit. The dominant relativistic effect on the path of the signal photons is Shapiro delay due to static space curvature. We compute these effects for some current and proposed space missions, using a Hamiltonian formulation in four dimensions. For highly eccentric orbits, such as in the Juno mission and in the Cassini Grand Finale, the relativistic effects have a kick-like nature, which could be advantageous for detecting them if their signatures are properly modeled as functions of time. Frame-dragging appears, in principle, measurable by Juno and Cassini, though not by Galileo 5 and 6. Practical measurement would require disentangling frame-dragging from the Newtonian 'foreground' such as the gravitational quadrupole which has an impact on both the spacecraft's orbit and the signal propagation. The foreground problem remains to be solved.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | Satellite tracking involves sending electromagnetic signals to Earth. | background 0.99 | 0.05 | 0.01 | asserted 1.00 |
| s1 | Both the orbit of the spacecraft and the electromagnetic signals themselves are affected by the curvature of spacetime. | background 1.00 | 0.06 | 0.03 | asserted 1.00 |
| s2 | The arrival time of the pulses is compared to the ticks of local clocks to reconstruct the orbital path of the satellite to high accuracy, and to implicitly measure general relativistic effects. | background 0.63 | 0.11 | 0.07 | asserted 1.00 |
| s3 | In particular, Schwarzschild space curvature (static) and frame-dragging (stationary) due to the planet's spin affect the satellite's orbit. | background 0.99 | 0.08 | 0.05 | asserted 1.00 |
| s4 | The dominant relativistic effect on the path of the signal photons is Shapiro delay due to static space curvature. | background 0.77 | 0.13 | 0.04 | asserted 1.00 |
| s5 | We compute these effects for some current and proposed space missions, using a Hamiltonian formulation in four dimensions. | method 0.83 | 0.93 | 0.04 | asserted 0.99 |
| s6 | For highly eccentric orbits, such as in the Juno mission and in the Cassini Grand Finale, the relativistic effects have a kick-like nature, which could be advantageous for detecting them if their signatures are properly modeled as functions of time. | interpretation 0.64 | 0.47 | 0.15 | hedged possibility 0.99 |
| s7 | Frame-dragging appears, in principle, measurable by Juno and Cassini, though not by Galileo 5 and 6. | result 0.98 | 0.74 | 0.39 | hedged possibility 0.94 |
| s8 | Practical measurement would require disentangling frame-dragging from the Newtonian 'foreground' such as the gravitational quadrupole which has an impact on both the spacecraft's orbit and the signal propagation. | limitation 0.88 | 0.13 | 0.14 | asserted 0.60 |
| s9 | The foreground problem remains to be solved. | limitation 0.79 | 0.15 | 0.29 | asserted 0.98 |
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Original abstract
Satellite tracking involves sending electromagnetic signals to Earth. Both the orbit of the spacecraft and the electromagnetic signals themselves are affected by the curvature of spacetime. The arrival time of the pulses is compared to the ticks of local clocks to reconstruct the orbital path of the satellite to high accuracy, and to implicitly measure general relativistic effects. In particular, Schwarzschild space curvature (static) and frame-dragging (stationary) due to the planet's spin affect the satellite's orbit. The dominant relativistic effect on the path of the signal photons is Shapiro delay due to static space curvature. We compute these effects for some current and proposed space missions, using a Hamiltonian formulation in four dimensions. For highly eccentric orbits, such as in the Juno mission and in the Cassini Grand Finale, the relativistic effects have a kick-like nature, which could be advantageous for detecting them if their signatures are properly modeled as functions of time. Frame-dragging appears, in principle, measurable by Juno and Cassini, though not by Galileo 5 and 6. Practical measurement would require disentangling frame-dragging from the Newtonian 'foreground' such as the gravitational quadrupole which has an impact on both the spacecraft's orbit and the signal propagation. The foreground problem remains to be solved.
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How the literature uses it
1 arXiv paper cite this in 1 sentence
What it cites · 6 sentences without a confident label
Builds on 4 papers
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Here, we extend the work of Angelil et al. for terrestrial satellites [ref] and the Galactic center [ref] and apply it to other planets in the Solar System.
On post-Newtonian orbits and the Galactic-center stars · Introduction · 1.00
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Here, we extend the work of Angelil et al. for terrestrial satellites [ref] and the Galactic center [ref] and apply it to other planets in the Solar System.
Galactic-center S-Stars as a prospective test of the Einstein Equivalence Principle · Introduction · 1.00
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Here, we extend the work of Angelil et al. for terrestrial satellites [ref] and the Galactic center [ref] and apply it to other planets in the Solar System.
Clocks around Sgr A* · Introduction · 1.00
Uses data or values from 1 paper
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At present, the estimated MoI is $∼0.265$ for Jupiter [ref] and $∼0.220$ for Saturn [ref] .
Giant Planets · Planetary parameters · 1.00
Cites as background 1 paper
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General relativity (GR) describes gravitation as a consequence of a curved four dimensional spacetime [ref] .
General Relativity and Cosmology: Unsolved Questions and Future Directions · Introduction · 1.00
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