Relativistic Celestial Mechanics Of The Solar System

This authoritative book presents the theoretical development of gravitational physics as it applies to the dynamics of celestial bodies and the analysis of precise astronomical observations. In so doing, it fills the need for a textbook that teaches modern dynamical astronomy with a strong emphasis on the relativistic aspects of the subject produced by the curved geometry of four-dimensional spacetime. The first three chapters review the fundamental principles of celestial mechanics and of special and general relativity. This background material forms the basis for understanding relativistic reference frames, the celestial mechanics of N-body systems, and high-precision astrometry, navigation, and geodesy, which are then treated in the following five chapters. The final chapter provides an overview of the new field of applied relativity, based on recent recommendations from the International Astronomical Union. The book is suitable for teaching advanced undergraduate honors programs and graduate courses, while equally serving as a reference for professional research scientists working in relativity and dynamical astronomy. The authors bring their extensive theoretical and practical experience to the subject. Sergei Kopeikin is a professor at the University of Missouri, while Michael Efroimsky and George Kaplan work at the United States Naval Observatory, one of the world?s premier institutions for expertise in astrometry, celestial mechanics, and timekeeping.

Essential Relativistic Celestial Mechanics presents a systematic exposition of the essential questions of relativistic celestial mechanics and their relation to relativistic astrometry. The book focuses on the comparison of calculated and measurable quantities that is of paramount importance in using general relativity as a necessary framework in the discussion of high-precision observations and for the construction of accurate dynamical ephemerides. It discusses the results of the general relativistic theory of motion of celestial bodies and describes the relativistic theory of astronomical reference frames, time scales, and the reduction of observations.

Essential Relativistic Celestial Mechanics presents a systematic exposition of the essential questions of relativistic celestial mechanics and their relation to relativistic astrometry. The book focuses on the comparison of calculated and measurable quantities that is of paramount importance in using general relativity as a necessary framework in the discussion of high-precision observations and for the construction of accurate dynamical ephemerides. It discusses the results of the general relativistic theory of motion of celestial bodies and describes the relativistic theory of astronomical reference frames, time scales, and the reduction of observations.

In the late 20th and beginning 21st century high-precision astronomy, positioning and metrology strongly rely on general relativity. Supported by exercises and solutions this book offers graduate students and researchers entering those fields a self-contained and exhaustive but accessible treatment of applied general relativity. The book is written in a homogenous (graduate level textbook) style allowing the reader to understand the arguments step by step. It first introduces the mathematical and theoretical foundations of gravity theory and then concentrates on its general relativistic applications: clock rates, clock sychronization, establishment of time scales, astronomical references frames, relativistic astrometry, celestial mechanics and metrology. The authors present up-to-date relativistic models for applied techniques such as Satellite LASER Ranging (SLR), Lunar LASER Ranging (LLR), Globale Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Very Large Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), radar measurements, gyroscopes and pulsar timing. A list of acronyms helps the reader keep an overview and a mathematical appendix provides required functions and terms.

The book "Relativity in Astrometry, Celestial Mechanics and Geodesy" repre sents a significant contribution to modern relativistic celestial mechanics and astrometry. In these branches of astronomy the theory of general relativity is used nowadays as an efficient practical framework for constructing accurate dynamical theories of motion of celestial bodies and discussing high-precision observations. The author develops the useful tools for this purpose and intro duces the reader into the modern state of the art in these domains. More specifically, the distinctive feature of the book is the wide application of the tetrad formalism to astronomical problems. One may not agree with the author's opinion that this is the only method so far to be able to treat the rel ativistic astronomical problems in a consistent and satisfactory manner. (On the contrary, one may foresee in the nearest future other books on relativistic celestial mechanics and astrometry based on different approaches solving the same problems. ) However, we are now at the beginning of practical relativis tic astronomy and it will demand much effort to reconstruct in a relativistic manner all Newtonian conceptions of ephemeris astronomy and geodesy. In particular, this concern. s the definitions of reference frames, time scales and astronomical units of measurement. This book is one of the first steps in the correct direction. V. A.

This authoritative book presents the theoretical development of gravitational physics as it applies to the dynamics of celestial bodies and the analysis of precise astronomical observations. In so doing, it fills the need for a textbook that teaches modern dynamical astronomy with a strong emphasis on the relativistic aspects of the subject produced by the curved geometry of four-dimensional spacetime. The first three chapters review the fundamental principles of celestial mechanics and of special and general relativity. This background material forms the basis for understanding relativistic reference frames, the celestial mechanics of N-body systems, and high-precision astrometry, navigation, and geodesy, which are then treated in the following five chapters. The final chapter provides an overview of the new field of applied relativity, based on recent recommendations from the International Astronomical Union. The book is suitable for teaching advanced undergraduate honors programs and graduate courses, while equally serving as a reference for professional research scientists working in relativity and dynamical astronomy. The authors bring their extensive theoretical and practical experience to the subject. Sergei Kopeikin is a professor at the University of Missouri, while Michael Efroimsky and George Kaplan work at the United States Naval Observatory, one of the world?s premier institutions for expertise in astrometry, celestial mechanics, and timekeeping.

IAU Symposium 172 Dynamics, Ephemerides and Astrometry of the Solar System was held in Paris in July, 1995. 250 scientists from 33 countries attended the symposium; 24 invited lectures and 165 contributed papers were presented (117 of which were posters). The papers covered topics on celestial mechanics (chaos and evolution of the solar system, asteroids, theories of the motion of the planets, the moon and the natural satellites), methods (symplectic mappings and elliptic functions), astrometry (CCD observations, VLBI and radar observations), ephemerides (representation and numerical integration) and on the history of celestial mechanics.

Relativistic celestial mechanics – investigating the motion celestial bodies under the influence of general relativity – is a major tool of modern experimental gravitational physics. With a wide range of prominent authors from the field, this two-volume series consists of reviews on a multitude of advanced topics in the area of relativistic celestial mechanics – starting from more classical topics such as the regime of asymptotically-flat spacetime, light propagation and celestial ephemerides, but also including its role in cosmology and alternative theories of gravity as well as modern experiments in this area. This second volume of a two-volume series covers applications of the theory as well as experimental verifications. From tools to determine light travel times in curved space-time to laser ranging between earth and moon and between satellites, and impacts on the definition of time scales and clock comparison techniques, a variety of effects is discussed. On the occasion of his 80-th birthday, these two volumes honor V. A. Brumberg – one of the pioneers in modern relativistic celestial mechanics. Contributions include: J. Simon, A. Fienga: Victor Brumberg and the French school of analytical celestial mechanics T. Fukushima: Elliptic functions and elliptic integrals for celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy P. Teyssandier: New tools for determining the light travel time in static, spherically symmetric spacetimes beyond the order G2 J. Müller, L. Biskupek, F. Hofmann and E. Mai: Lunar laser ranging and relativity N. Wex: Testing relativistic celestial mechanics with radio pulsars I. Ciufolini et al.: Dragging of inertial frames, fundamental physics, and satellite laser ranging G. Petit, P. Wolf, P. Delva: Atomic time, clocks, and clock comparisons in relativistic spacetime: a review