arXiv subjects

Cheng-Gang Qin

Publications and source records attributed to Cheng-Gang Qin.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Relativistic Modeling for Solid Earth Tide Estimation via Space-to-Ground Clock Comparison

With the rapid development of modern atomic clock technology, their unprecedented precision elevates them from timekeeping tools to gravitational potential sensors, thereby fostering the highly interdisciplinary field of Relativistic Geodesy. Given the potential for high-precision clock networks to detect periodic gravitational variations, it is imperative to assess their capability to invert solid Earth tide parameters via space-to-ground links in the presence of complex observational noise. To this end, we incorporate Earth's gravitational potential, direct lunisolar tidal potentials, and solid Earth tide effects into a high-precision relativistic framework for space-to-ground clock comparisons. By employing a three-link Doppler cancellation configuration to isolate the target signal, we perform numerical simulations for an inclined geosynchronous orbit satellite to analyze the effects of clock instability and colored precise orbit determination errors on parameter extraction. Our findings reveal that while high orbital altitudes cause severe collinearity between individual Love numbers, an effective parameter combining the $h_2$ and $k_2$ Love numbers successfully converges to a stable estimate within a 30-day continuous observation window. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis demonstrates that extraction accuracy is currently limited by clock stability rather than radial precise orbit determination errors.

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arXiv2026

Scalar dark matter in space-based gravitational-wave detectors: center-of-mass motion, size breathing, and TDI projection

Ultralight scalar dark matter can make space-based gravitational-wave detectors respond through both the scalar charge of freely falling test masses and scalar-induced changes of local solid length scales. Existing space-detector forecasts usually model the former as a center-of-mass force, while ground-based interferometer studies show that scalar fields can also act through material and optical-path transduction. We ask which part of a local material response survives after one-way Doppler measurements are assembled into delayed time-delay-interferometry observables. To this end, we formulate center-of-mass motion and endpoint-size breathing in a common link-response notation for LISA-, Taiji-, and TianQin-like detectors. The main result is a projection rule: in the equal-arm, identical-endpoint, common-field limit, endpoint breathing enters Michelson-$X$ as a common-mode link perturbation and is removed from the retained channel. Its leading leakage is controlled by finite scalar wave vector, unequal or time-dependent arms, nonidentical endpoint response, or auxiliary readouts, and carries extra geometric and delay suppressions beyond the local size response. We then give reproducible noise, sensitivity, and network-combination formulas, and quote multi-mission improvements only under explicit independent-stream and scalar-coherence assumptions. The result provides a controlled baseline for deciding when test-mass breathing can be neglected and when instrument-specific material response must be modeled.

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arXiv2025

Relativistic formulation for dual one-way Doppler Cancellation Scheme observables for gravitational redshift tests

Gravitational redshift is a fundamental prediction of general relativity and a sensitive probe of possible deviations from it. Motivated by recent progress in optical clocks and satellite-ground frequency transfer, we study a dual one-way optical Doppler-cancellation observable for space-based gravitational-redshift tests. The corresponding observable is constructed by combining oppositely directed one-way frequency observables, namely an uplink and a downlink whose measurements are recorded at the receiving terminals and combined in post-processing. We derive the corresponding relativistic observable up to order $c^{-3}$, as required for future $10^{-18}$-level clock comparisons. The resulting combination suppresses the first-order Doppler contribution to second order while retaining the gravitational-redshift signal. We analyze the dominant residual effects, including higher-order Doppler terms, atmospheric delay, Shpiro delay, tidal effects, clock synchronization etc. The formalism is applied to representative satellite-ground configurations, including an ACES/CSS-like low-Earth-orbit configuration and a geostationary Earth-orbit satellite. The results show that the dual one-way optical DCS configuration provides a useful relativistic framework and error-modeling reference for future $10^{-18}$-level space-based gravitational-redshift tests, while highlighting the need for stringent clock synchronization.

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arXiv2025

Constraints on violation of Lorentz symmetry with clock-comparison redshift experiments

Lorentz symmetry is a cornerstone of both the General relativity and Standard Model and its experimental verification deepens our understanding of nature. This paper focuses on the investigation of Lorentz violations with the context of clock comparison experiments in the framework of Standard Model Extension (SME). Considering matter-gravity coupling sector, we provide a generic frame to study the sensitivities of Lorentz-violating coefficients for three distinct types of clock redshift tests, including the traditional gravitational redshift test, null-redshift test I and null-redshift test II. Each of these tests is sensitivity to different combinations of Lorentz-violating coefficients. By using the current clock comparison results, we estimate the limits of SME coefficients at level of parts in $10^{4}$ down to parts in $10^{7}$. Better sensitivity may be achieved in the clock comparisons by using the state-of-the-art optical clocks. Additionally considering relativistic factors in null-redshift I, the frequency comparison result of E2 and E3 transitions of Yb$^{+}$ can set the limit $c^{e}_{00}=(7.4\pm9.3)\times10^{-9}$ in the electron sector. Our analysis demonstrates that clock-comparison redshift experiments may contribute to explore the vast parameters space on searching for the Lorentz violation.

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arXiv2025

Preliminary Sensitivity Study for a Gravitational Redshift Measurement with China's Lunar Exploration Project

General relativity (GR) is a highly successful theory that describes gravity as a geometric phenomenon. The gravitational redshift, a classic test of GR, can potentially be violated in alternative gravity theories, and experimental tests on this effect are crucial for our understanding of gravity. In this paper, considering the space-ground clock comparisons with free-space links, we discuss a high-precision Doppler cancellation-based measurement model for testing gravitational redshift. This model can effectively reduce various sources of error and noise, reducing the influences of the first-order Doppler effect, atmospheric delay, Shapiro delay, etc. China's Lunar Exploration Project (CLEP) is proposed to equip the deep-space H maser with a daily stability of $2\times10^{-15}$, which provides an approach for testing gravitational redshift. Based on the simulation, we analyze the space-ground clock comparison experiments of the CLEP experiment, and simulation analysis demonstrates that under ideal condition of high-precision measurement of the onboard H-maser frequency offset and drift, the CLEP experiment may reach the uncertainty of $3.7\times10^{-6}$ after a measurement session of 60 days. Our results demonstrate that if the issue of frequency offset and drift is solved, CLEP missions have a potential of testing the gravitational redshift with high accuracy. This manuscript has been accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravity. DOI 10.1088/1361-6382/ad4ae2

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arXiv2023

Testing Lorentz symmetry with space-based gravitational-wave detectors

Lorentz symmetry (LS), one of the most fundamental physical symmetries, has been extensively studied in the context of quantum gravity and unification theories. Many of these theories predict a LS violation, which could arise from the discreteness of spacetime, or extra dimensions. Standard-model extension (SME) is an effective field theory to describe Lorentz violation whose effects can be explored using precision instruments such as atomic clocks and gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. Considering the pure-gravity sector and matter-gravity coupling sector in the SME, we studied the leading Lorentz-violating modifications to the time delay of light and the relativistic frequency shift of the clock in the space-based GW detectors. We found that the six data streams from the GW mission can construct various combinations of measurement signals, such as single-arm round-trip path, interference path, triangular round-trip path, etc. These measurements are sensitive to the different combinations of SME coefficients and provide novel linear combinations of SME coefficients different from previous studies. Based on the orbits of TianQin, LISA, and Taiji missions, we calculated the response of Lorentz-violating effects on the combinations of the measurement signal data streams. Our results allow us to estimate the sensitivities for SME coefficients: $10^{-6}$ for the gravity sector coefficient $\bar{s}^{TT}$, $10^{-6}$ for matter-gravity coupling coefficients $(\bar{a}^{(e+p)}_{\text{eff}})_{T}$ and $\bar{c}^{(e+p)}_{TT}$, and $10^{-5}$ for $(\bar{a}^{n}_{\text{eff}})_{T}$ and $\bar{c}^{n}_{TT}$.

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arXiv2020

Relativistic tidal effects on clock-comparison experiments

We consider the relativistic tidal effects on frequency shift of clock-comparison experiments. The relativistic formulation for frequency shift and time transfer is derived in the gravitational field of a tidal, axisymmetric, and rotating Earth. With the help of Love numbers describing the tidal response of solid Earth, we formulize the mathematical connection between tidal effects from the ground-based clock-comparison experiments and the local gravity tides from the gravimeters, which in turn provides us an approach to eliminate tidal influences on clock comparison with the local gravity tides data. Moreover, we develop a method of the perturbed Kepler orbit to determine relativistic effects of clock comparison for space missions, which allows more precise calculations comparing to the conventional method of unperturbed Kepler orbit. With this perturbed method, it can give the perturbation of relativistic effects due to the orbital changes under the influences of tidal forces, Earth's oblateness etc. In addition, as the applications of our results, we simulate tidal effects in frequency shift for the clock comparison on the ground and also give some estimates for TianQin mission and GPS.

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arXiv2020

Light propagation in the field of the N-body system and the application in the TianQin mission

Given the high-precision modern space mission, a precise relativistic modeling of observations is required. By solving the eikonal equation with the post-Newtonian approximation, the light propagation is determined by the iterative method in the gravitational field of an isolated, gravitationally bound N-body system. Different from the traditional $N$ bodies that are independent with each other in the system, our system includes the velocities, accelerations, gravitational interactions and tidal deformations of the gravitational bodies. The light delays of these factors then are precisely determined by the analytical solutions. These delays are significant and are likely to reach a detectable level for the \emph{strong} gravitational fields, such as binary pulsars and some gravitational wave sources. The result's application in the vicinity of the Earth provides a relativistic framework for modern space missions. From the relativistic analysis in the TianQin mission, we find the possible tests for the alternative gravitational theories, such as a possible determination for the post-Newtonian parameter $γ$ in the level of some scalar-tensor theories of gravity.

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