General relativistic corrections to the Sagnac effect

TL;DR

This paper investigates how general relativity modifies the Sagnac effect for light in the vicinity of a spinning massive body, providing estimates for Earth-based measurements.

Contribution

It derives relativistic corrections to the Sagnac effect in Kerr spacetime and assesses their measurability with current technology.

Findings

Relativistic corrections are significant near rotating massive bodies.

Estimated measurement differences are within current experimental capabilities.

The study extends the classical Sagnac effect to include general relativistic effects.

Abstract

The difference in travel time of corotating and counter-rotating light waves in the field of a central massive and spinning body is studied. The corrections to the special relativistic formula are worked out in a Kerr field. Estimation of numeric values for the Earth and satellites in orbit around it show that a direct measurement is in the order of concrete possibilities.