The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment

TL;DR

This paper reviews the experimental status of general relativity, highlighting tests of Einstein's equivalence principle, post-Newtonian predictions, and recent gravitational wave observations, and discusses future experimental prospects.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of experimental tests of general relativity and discusses upcoming tests involving quantum gravity and gravitational waves.

Findings

EEP is well supported by experiments

High-precision tests of post-Newtonian effects

Gravitational wave damping observed in binary pulsars

Abstract

The status of experimental tests of general relativity and of theoretical frameworks for analysing them are reviewed. Einstein's equivalence principle (EEP) is well supported by experiments such as the E\"otv\"os experiment, tests of special relativity, and the gravitational redshift experiment. Future tests of EEP and of the inverse square law will search for new interactions arising from unification or quantum gravity. Tests of general relativity at the post-Newtonian level have reached high precision, including the light deflection, the Shapiro time delay, the perihelion advance of Mercury, and the Nordtvedt effect in lunar motion. Gravitational wave damping has been detected to half a percent using the binary pulsar, and new binary pulsar systems may yield further improvements. When direct observation of gravitational radiation from astrophysical sources begins, new tests of general relativity will be possible.