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arXiv · 1505.06725

Comment on "Measurements of Newton's gravitational constant and the length of day"

M. Pitkin
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Abstract

There have been recent claims (Anderson et al., EPL, 110, 10002) of a 5.9 year periodicity in measurements of Newton's gravitational constant, $G$, which show a very strong correlation with observed periodic variations in the length of the day. I have used Bayesian model comparison to test this claim compared to other hypotheses that could explain the variation in the $G$ measurements. I have used the data from the initial claim, and from an updated set of compiled $G$ measurements that more accurately reflect the experimental dates, and find that a model containing an additional unknown Gaussian noise component is hugely favoured, by factors of $\gtrsim e^{30}$, over two models allowing for a sinusoidal component.

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M. Pitkin. 2015-08-12. Comment on "Measurements of Newton's gravitational constant and the length of day". https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075%2F111%2F30002

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