Astrometric detection feasibility of gravitational effects of quantum vacuum

TL;DR

This paper investigates the potential for using astrometric measurements to detect gravitational effects of quantum vacuum, focusing on the orbit of UX25 and its satellite, and explores various observational scenarios.

Contribution

It provides a detailed feasibility analysis of detecting quantum vacuum gravitational effects through astrometry, including estimated orbital shifts and observational strategies.

Findings

Estimated orbital shift of 0.23 arcsec per orbit for UX25's satellite.

Feasibility of detecting quantum vacuum effects with ground and space telescopes.

Exploration of observational scenarios using adaptive optics and spaceborne telescopes.

Abstract

This work analyzes in some detail the feasibility of testing with astrometric measurements the hypothesis that Quantum Vacuum can have gravitational effects, as suggested in a series of recent papers ([3, 6, 5]). In particular, the possibility of detecting an excess shift of the longitude of the pericenter in the orbit of the trans-neptunian system UX25 and its satellite is investigated. The excess shift which might be experimented by the orbit of the satellite was estimated, under reasonable working hypothesis, to be about 0:23 arcsec per orbit. Several observing scenarios are explored here, including those using conventional and adaptive optics telescopes from ground, and some spaceborne telescopes.