On the use of Ajisai and Jason-1 satellites for tests of General Relativity

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the feasibility of using Ajisai, Jason-1, and LAGEOS satellites to measure the Earth's Lense-Thirring effect, estimating a total error of about 4-5% over three years.

Contribution

It provides a detailed error analysis for using these satellites in testing general relativity, considering gravitational and non-gravitational perturbations.

Findings

Systematic error from Earth's gravity models is about 1%.

Non-gravitational perturbations are estimated to impact measurements by up to 4%.

Total measurement error is approximately 4-5% over three years.

Abstract

Here we analyze in detail some aspects of the proposed use of Ajisai and Jason-1, together with the LAGEOS satellites, to measure the general relativistic Lense-Thirring effect in the gravitational field of the Earth. A linear combination of the nodes of such satellites is the proposed observable. The systematic error due to the mismodelling in the uncancelled even zonal harmonics would be \sim 1% according to the latest present-day CHAMP/GRACE-based Earth gravity models. In regard to the non-gravitational perturbations especially affecting Jason-1, only relatively high-frequency harmonic perturbations should occur: neither semisecular nor secular bias of non-gravitational origin should affect the proposed combination: their maximum impact is evaluated to \sim 4% over 2 years. Our estimation of the root-sum-square total error is about 4-5% over at least 3 years of data analysis required to average out the uncancelled tidal perturbations.