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arXiv · 1607.03845

Frequentist model comparison tests of sinusoidal variations in measurements of Newton's gravitational constant

Shantanu Desai
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Abstract

Anderson et al have claimed to find evidence for periodic sinusoidal variations (period=5.9 years) in measurements of Newton's Gravitational constant. These claims have been disputed by Pitkin. Using Bayesian model comparison, he argues that a model with an unknown Gaussian noise component is favored over any periodic variations by more than $e^{30}$. We re-examine the claims of Anderson et al using frequentist model comparison tests, both with and without errors in the measurement times. Our findings lend support to Pitkin's claim that a constant term along with an unknown systematic offset provides a better fit to the measurements of Newton's constant, compared to any sinusoidal variations.

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Shantanu Desai. 2016-07-13. Frequentist model comparison tests of sinusoidal variations in measurements of Newton's gravitational constant. https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/115/20006

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