RadioAstron gravitational redshift experiment

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Abstract

A test of a cornerstone of general relativity, the gravitational redshift effect, is currently
being conducted with the RadioAstron spacecraft, which is on a highly eccentric orbit
around Earth. Using ground radio telescopes to record the spacecraft signal, synchronized
to its ultra-stable on-board H-maser, we can probe the varying flow of time on board with
unprecedented accuracy. The observations performed so far, currently being analyzed,
have already allowed us to measure the effect with a relative accuracy of 4 × 10−4
. We
expect to reach 2.5×10−5 with additional observations in 2016, an improvement of almost
a magnitude over the 40-year old result of the GP-A mission.

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1605.05832.pdf
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