An orbiting disco ball gave Einstein's theory its most precise test yet
4 hours ago
- #LARES-2
- #Frame Dragging
- #General Relativity
- The Earth's rotation drags spacetime around it, a phenomenon known as frame dragging or the Lense-Thirring effect.
- Measuring Earth's frame dragging is challenging due to its small mass and slow rotation compared to black holes.
- A team led by Ignazio Ciufolini achieved the most accurate measurement to date, reducing uncertainty to 0.2%.
- They used the LARES-2 satellite, a dense sphere covered with retroreflectors, with the lowest area-to-mass ratio in its orbit.
- This design minimized non-gravitational forces, enabling precise measurements of the Lense-Thirring effect.