The Pioneer anomaly in the context of the braneworld scenario

TL;DR

This paper investigates the Pioneer anomaly within a braneworld framework, finding that a scalar field with a suitable potential can explain the observed acceleration, unlike radion field effects.

Contribution

It introduces a scalar field model in braneworld scenarios that successfully accounts for the Pioneer anomaly, expanding the theoretical understanding of such phenomena.

Findings

Radion field effects cannot explain the anomaly

A scalar field with an appropriate potential can account for the anomaly

Implications of the scalar field solution are analyzed

Abstract

We examine the Pioneer anomaly - a reported anomalous acceleration affecting the Pioneer 10/11, Galileo and Ulysses spacecrafts - in the context of a braneworld scenario. We show that effects due to the radion field cannot account for the anomaly, but that a scalar field with an appropriate potential is able to explain the phenomena. Implications and features of our solution are analyzed.