The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment: A 1998 Update

TL;DR

This paper reviews the experimental status of general relativity in 1998, highlighting tests of Einstein's equivalence principle, gravitational phenomena, and the prospects for future gravitational wave observations.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive update on experimental tests of general relativity and discusses future experimental prospects and theoretical frameworks.

Findings

EEP well supported by experiments

High-precision tests of gravitational phenomena

Detection of gravitational wave damping 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 will search for new interactions arising from unification or quantum gravity. Tests of general relativity 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 promise further improvements. When direct observation of gravitational radiation from astrophysical sources begins, new tests of general relativity will be possible.