arXiv subjects

Lorenzo Iorio

Publications and source records attributed to Lorenzo Iorio.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Orbital effects of the time-dependent component of the Pioneer anomaly

We work out the impact that the recently determined time-dependent component of the Pioneer Anomaly (PA), interpreted as an additional exotic acceleration of gravitational origin with respect to the well known PA-like constant one, may have on the orbital motions of some planets of the solar system. By assuming that it points towards the Sun, it turns out that both the semi-major axis a and the eccentricity e of the orbit of a test particle experience secular variations. For Saturn and Uranus, for which modern data records cover at least one full orbital revolution, such predicted anomalies are up to 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than the present-day accuracies in empirical determinations their orbital parameters from the usual orbit determination procedures in which the PA was not modeled. Given the predicted huge sizes of such hypothetical signatures, it is unlikely that their absence from the presently available processed data can be attributable to an "absorption" for them in the estimated parameters caused by the fact that they were not explicitly modeled. The magnitude of a constant PA-type acceleration at 9.5 au cannot be larger than 9 10^-15 m s^-2 according to the latest observational results for the perihelion precession of Saturn.

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arXiv2012

Constraints from orbital motions around the Earth of the environmental fifth-force hypothesis for the OPERA superluminal neutrino phenomenology

It has been recently suggested by Dvali and Vikman that the superluminal neutrino phenomenology of the OPERA experiment may be due to an environmental feature of the Earth, naturally yielding a long-range fifth force of gravitational origin whose coupling with the neutrino is set by the scale M_*, in units of reduced Planck mass. Its characteristic length lambda should not be smaller than one Earth's radius R_e, while its upper bound is expected to be slightly smaller than the Earth-Moon distance (60 R_e). We analytically work out some orbital effects of a Yukawa-type fifth force for a test particle moving in the modified field of a central body. Our results are quite general since they are not restricted to any particular size of lambda; moreover, they are valid for an arbitrary orbital configuration of the particle, i.e. for any value of its eccentricity $e$. We find that the dimensionless strength coupling parameter alpha is constrained to |alpha| <= 1 10^-10-4 10^-9 for 1 R_e <= lambda <= 10 R_e by the laser data of the Earth's artificial satellite LAGEOS II, corresponding to M_* >= 4 10^9 -1.6 10^10. The Moon perigee allows to obtain |alpha| <= 3 10^-11 for the Earth-Moon pair in the range 15 R_e <= lambda <= 60 R_e, which translates as M_* >= 3 10^10 - 4.5 10^10. Our results are neither necessarily limited to the superluminal OPERA scenario nor to the Dvali-Vikman model, in which it is M_* = 10^-6 at lambda = 1 R_e, in contrast with our bounds: they generally extend to any theoretical scenario implying a fifth-force of Yukawa-type.

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arXiv2012

Orbital effects of Lorentz-violating Standard Model Extension gravitomagnetism around a static body: a sensitivity analysis

We analytically work out the long-term rates of change of the six osculating Keplerian orbital elements of a test particle acted upon by the Lorentz-violating gravitomagnetic acceleration due to a static body, as predicted by the Standard Model Extension (SME). We neither restrict to any specific spatial orientation for the symmetry-violating vector s nor make a priori simplifying assumptions concerning the orbital configuration of the perturbed test particle. Thus, our results are quite general, and can be applied for sensitivity analyses to a variety of specific astronomical and astrophysical scenarios. We find that, apart from the semimajor axis a, all the other orbital elements undergo non-vanishing secular variations. By comparing our results to the latest determinations of the supplementary advances of the perihelia of some planets of the solar system we preliminarily obtain s_x = (0.9 +/- 1.5) 10^-8, s_y = (-4 +/- 6) 10^-9, s_z = (0.3 +/- 1) 10^-9. Bounds from the terrestrial LAGEOS and LAGEOS II satellites are of the order of s\sim 10^-3-10^-4.

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arXiv2011

Constraints on the location of a putative distant massive body in the Solar System from recent planetary data

We analytically work out the long-term variations caused on the motion of a planet orbiting a star by a very distant, pointlike massive object X. Apart from the semi-major axis a, all the other Keplerian osculating orbital elements experience long-term variations which are complicated functions of the orbital configurations of both the planet itself and of X. We infer constraints on the minimum distance d_X at which X may exist by comparing our prediction of the long-term variation of the longitude of the perihelion \varpi to the latest empirical determinations of the corrections Δ\dot\varpi to the standard Newtonian/Einsteinian secular precessions of several solar system planets recently estimated by independent teams of astronomers. We obtain the following approximate lower bounds on dX for the assumed masses of X quoted in brackets: 150 - 200 au (m_Mars), 250 - 450 au (0.7 m_Earth), 3500 - 4500 au (4 m_Jup).

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arXiv2011

The twin paradox and Mach's principle

The problem of absolute motion in the context of the twin paradox is discussed. It is shown that the various versions of the clock paradox feature some aspects which Mach might have been appreciated. However, the ultimate cause of the behavior of the clocks must be attributed to the autonomous status of spacetime, thereby proving the relational program advocated by Mach as impracticable.

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arXiv2011

General relativistic spin-orbit and spin-spin effects on the motion of rotating particles in an external gravitational field

We analytically compute the orbital effects induced on the motion of a spinning particle geodesically traveling around a central rotating body by the general relativistic two-body spin-spin and spin-orbit interactions. We use the weak-field and slow-motion leading-order approximation. Neither assumptions on the eccentricity nor the inclination of the orbit of the particle have been assumed. No specific orientations of the spins involved have been chosen. (Abridged)

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arXiv2011

Observational constraints on spatial anisotropy of G from orbital motions

A phenomenological anisotropic variation ΔG/G of the Newtonian gravitational coupling parameter G, if real, would affect the orbital dynamics of a two-body gravitationally bound system in a specific way. We analytically work out the long-term effects that such a putative modification of the usual Newtonian inverse-square law would induce on the trajectory of a test particle orbiting a central mass. Without making any a-priori simplifying assumptions concerning the orbital configuration of the test particle, it turns out that its osculating semi-major axis a, eccentricity e, pericenter \varpi and mean anomaly M undergo long-term temporal variations, while the inclination I and the node Ωare left unaffected. Moreover, the radial and the transverse components of the position and the velocity vectors r and v of the test particle experience non-vanishing changes per orbit, contrary to the out-of-plane ones. Then, we compute our theoretical predictions for some of the major bodies of the solar system by orienting the gradient of G(r) towards the Galactic Center and keeping it fixed over the characteristic timescales involved. By comparing our calculation to the latest observational determinations for the same bodies, we infer ΔG/G <= 10^-17 over about 1 au. Finally, we consider also the Supermassive Black Hole hosted by the Galactic Center in Sgr A^* and the main sequence star S2 orbiting it in about 16 yr, obtaining just ΔG/G <= 10^-2 over 1 kau.

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arXiv2011

Orbital effects of non-isotropic mass depletion of the atmospheres of evaporating hot Jupiters in extrasolar systems

We analytically and numerically investigate the long-term, i.e. averaged over one full revolution, orbital effects of the non-isotropic percent mass loss \dot m/m experienced by several transiting hot Jupiters whose atmospheres are hit by severe radiations flows coming from their close parent stars. The semi-major axis a, the argument of pericenter ωand the mean anomaly M experience net variations, while the eccentricity e, the inclination I and the longitude of the ascending node remain unchanged, on average. In particular, a increases independently of e and of the speed Vesc of the ejected mass. By assuming |\dot m| <= 10^17 kg yr-1, corresponding to |\dot m/m| <= 10^-10 yr-1 for a Jupiter-like planet, it turns out \dot a = 2.5 m yr^-1 for orbits with a = 0.05 au. Such an effect may play a role in the dynamical history of the hot Jupiters, especially in connection with the still unresolved issue of the arrest of the planetary inward migrations after a distance a >= 0.01 au is reached. The retrograde pericenter variation depends, instead, on e and V_esc. It may, in principle, act as a source of systematic uncertainty in some proposed measurements of the general relativistic pericenter precession; however, it turns out to be smaller than it by several orders of magnitude.

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arXiv2011

Some considerations on the present-day results for the detection of frame-dragging after the final outcome of GP-B

The cancelation of the first even zonal harmonic coefficient J2 of the multipolar expansion of the Newtonian part of the Earth's gravitational potential from the linear combination f(2L) of the nodes of LAGEOS and LAGEOS II used in the latest tests of the general relativistic Lense-Thirring effect cannot be perfect, as assumed so far. It is so, among other things, because of the uncertainties in the spatial orientation of the terrestrial spin axis as well. As a consequence, the coefficient c1 entering f(2L), which is not a solve-for parameter being theoretically computed from the analytical expressions of the classical node precessions due to J2, is, on average, uncertain at a 10-8 level over multi-decadal time spans DT comparable to those used in the data analyses performed so far. A further \simeq 20% systematic uncertainty in the theoretically predicted gravitomagnetic signal, thus, occurs. The shift due to the gravitomagnetic frame-dragging on the station-spacecraft range is numerically computed over DT = 15 d and DT = 1 yr. The need of looking at such a directly observable quantity is pointed out, along with some critical remarks concerning the methodology used so far to measure the Lense-Thirring effect with the LAGEOS satellites. Suggestions for a different, more trustable and reliable approach are offered.

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arXiv2011

Impact of a Pioneer/Rindler-type acceleration on the Oort cloud

According to a recent modified model of gravity at large distances, a radial constant and uniform extra-acceleration A_Rin of Rindler type acts upon a test particle p in the static field of a central mass M if certain conditions are satisfied. Among other things, it was proposed as a potentially viable explanation of a part of the Pioneer anomaly. We study the impact that an anomalous Rindler-type term as large as |A_Rin| \sim 10^-10 m s^-2 may have on the the orbital dynamics of a typical object of the Oort cloud whose self-energy is quite smaller than its putative Rindler energy. By taking a typical comet moving along a highly eccentric and inclined orbit throughout the expected entire extension of the Oort cloud (0.02 pc-1 pc), it turns out that the addition of an outward Rindler-like acceleration, i.e. for A_Rin > 0, does not allow bound orbits. Instead, if A_Rin < 0, the resulting numerically integrated trajectory is limited in space, but it radically differs from the standard Keplerian ellipse. In particular, the heliocentric distance of the comet gets markedly reduced and experiences high frequency oscillations, its speed is increased, and the overall pattern of the trajectory is quite isotropic. As a consequence, the standard picture of the Oort cloud is radically altered since its modified orbits are much less sensitive to the disturbing actions of the Galactic tide and nearby passing stars whose effects, in the standard scenario, are responsible for the phenomenology on which our confidence in the existence of the cloud itself is based. The present analysis may be supplemented in future by further statistical Monte Carlo-type investigations by randomly varying the initial conditions of the comets.

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arXiv2011

Gravitomagnetism and the Earth-Mercury range

We numerically work out the impact of the general relativistic Lense-Thirring effect on the Earth-Mercury range caused by the gravitomagnetic field of the rotating Sun. The peak-to peak nominal amplitude of the resulting time-varying signal amounts to 1.75 10^1 m over a temporal interval 2 yr. Future interplanetary laser ranging facilities should reach a cm-level in ranging to Mercury over comparable timescales; for example, the BepiColombo mission, to be launched in 2014, should reach a 4.5 - 10 cm level over 1 - 8 yr. We looked also at other Newtonian (solar quadrupole mass moment, ring of the minor asteroids, Ceres, Pallas, Vesta, Trans-Neptunian Objects) and post-Newtonian (gravitoelectric Schwarzschild solar field) dynamical effects on the Earth-Mercury range. They act as sources of systematic errors for the Lense-Thirring signal which, in turn, if not properly modeled, may bias the recovery of some key parameters of such other dynamical features of motion. Their nominal peak-to-peak amplitudes are as large as 4 10^5 m (Schwarzschild), 3 10^2 m (Sun's quadrupole), 8 10^1 m (Ceres, Pallas, Vesta), 4 m (ring of minor asteroids), 8 10^-1 m (Trans-Neptunian Objects). Their temporal patterns are different with respect to that of the gravitomagnetic signal.

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arXiv2011

Orbital effects of spatial variations of fundamental coupling constants

We deal with the effects induced on the orbit of a test particle revolving around a central body by putative spatial variations of fundamental coupling constants $ζ$. In particular, we assume a dipole gradient for $ζ(\bds r)/\barζ$ along a generic direction $\bds{\hat{k}}$ in space. We analytically work out the long-term variations of all the six standard Keplerian orbital elements parameterizing the orbit of a test particle in a gravitationally bound two-body system. It turns out that, apart from the semi-major axis $a$, the eccentricity $e$, the inclination $I$, the longitude of the ascending node $Ω$, the longitude of pericenter $π$ and the mean anomaly $\mathcal{M}$ undergo non-zero long-term changes. By using the usual decomposition along the radial ($R$), transverse ($T$) and normal ($N$) directions, we also analytically work out the long-term changes $ΔR,ΔT,ΔN$ and $Δv_R,Δv_T,Δv_N$ experienced by the position and the velocity vectors $\bds r$ and $\bds v$ of the test particle. It turns out that, apart from $ΔN$, all the other five shifts do not vanish over one full orbital revolution. In the calculation we do not use \textit{a-priori} simplifying assumptions concerning $e$ and $I$. Thus, our results are valid for a generic orbital geometry; moreover, they hold for any gradient direction (abridged).

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arXiv2011

An Empirical Explanation of the Anomalous Increases in the Astronomical Unit and the Lunar Eccentricity

Both the recently reported anomalous secular increase of the astronomical unit, of the order of a few cm yr^-1, and of the eccentricity of the lunar orbit e_ = (9+/-3) 10^-12 yr^-1 can be phenomenologically explained by postulating that the acceleration of a test particle orbiting a central body, in addition to usual Newtonian component, contains a small additional radial term proportional to the radial projection vr of the velocity of the particle's orbital motion. Indeed, it induces secular variations of both the semi-major axis a and the eccentricity e of the test particle's orbit. In the case of the Earth and the Moon, they numerically agree rather well with the measured anomalies if one takes the numerical value of the coefficient of proportionality of the extra-acceleration approximately equal to that of the Hubble parameter H0 = 7.3 10^-11 yr^-1.

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arXiv2011

On the anomalous increase of the lunar eccentricity

Possible explanations of the recently reported anomalous increase of the eccentricity of the lunar orbit are sought in terms of classical Newtonian mechanics, general relativity, and long-range modifications of gravity.

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arXiv2011

Solar system constraints on a Rindler-type extra-acceleration from modified gravity at large distances

We analytically work out the orbital effects caused by a Rindlertype extra-acceleration ARin which naturally arises in some recent models of modified gravity at large distances. In particular, we focus on the perturbations induced by it on the two-body range ρ and range-rate ρ\cdot which are commonly used in satellite and planetary investigations as primary observable quantities. The constraints obtained for ARin by comparing our calculations with the currently available range and range-rate residuals for some of the major bodies of the solar system, obtained without explicitly modeling ARin, are 1 - 2 \times 10-13 m s-2 (Mercury and Venus), 1 \times 10-14 m s-2 (Saturn), 1 \times 10-15 m s-2 (Mars), while for a terrestrial Rindler acceleration we have 5 \times 10-16 m s-2 (Moon). Another approach which could be followed consists of taking into account ARin in re-processing all the available data sets with accordingly modified dynamical models, and estimating a dedicated solve-for parameter explicitly accounting for it. Anyway, such a method is time-consuming. A preliminary analysis likely performed in such a way by a different author yields A <= 8\times10-14 m s-2 at Mars' distance and A < = 1\times10-14 m s-2 at Saturn's distance. The method adopted here can be easily and straightforwardly extended to other long-range modified models of gravity as well.

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arXiv2011

On the anomalous secular increase of the eccentricity of the orbit of the Moon

A recent analysis of a Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) data record spanning 38.7 yr revealed an anomalous increase of the eccentricity of the lunar orbit amounting to de/dt_meas = (9 +/- 3) 10^-12 yr^-1. The present-day models of the dissipative phenomena occurring in the interiors of both the Earth and the Moon are not able to explain it. We examine several dynamical effects, not modeled in the data analysis, in the framework of long-range modified models of gravity and of the standard Newtonian/Einsteinian paradigm. It turns out that none of them can accommodate de/dt_meas. Many of them do not even induce long-term changes in e; other models do, instead, yield such an effect, but the resulting magnitudes are in disagreement with de/dt_meas. In particular, the general relativistic gravitomagnetic acceleration of the Moon due to the Earth's angular momentum has the right order of magnitude, but the resulting Lense-Thirring secular effect for the eccentricity vanishes. A potentially viable Newtonian candidate would be a trans-Plutonian massive object (Planet X/Nemesis/Tyche) since it, actually, would affect e with a non-vanishing long-term variation. On the other hand, the values for the physical and orbital parameters of such a hypothetical body required to obtain the right order of magnitude for de/dt are completely unrealistic. Moreover, they are in neat disagreement with both the most recent theoretical scenarios envisaging the existence of a distant, planetary-sized body and with the model-independent constraints on them dynamically inferred from planetary motions. Thus, the issue of finding a satisfactorily explanation for the anomalous behavior of the Moon's eccentricity remains open.

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arXiv2011

Horava-Lifshitz gravity: tighter constraints for the Kehagias-Sfetsos solution from new solar system data

We analytically work out the perturbation induced by the Kehagias-Sfetsos (KS) space-time solution of the Horava-Lifshitz (HL) modified gravity at long distances on the two-body range for a pair of test particles A and B orbiting the same mass M. We apply our results to the most recently obtained range-residuals δρfor some planets of the solar system (Mercury, Mars, Saturn) ranged from the Earth to effectively constrain the dimensionsless KS parameter ψ_0 for the Sun. We obtain ψ_0 >= 7.2 x 10^-10 (Mercury), ψ_0 >= 9 x 10^-12 (Mars), ψ_0 >= 1.7 x 10^-12 (Saturn). Such lower bounds are tighter than other ones existing in literature by several orders of magnitude. We also preliminarily obtain ψ_0 >= 8 x 10^-10 for the system constituted by the S2 star orbiting the Supermassive Black Hole (SBH) in the center of the Galaxy.

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arXiv2011

How accurate is the cancelation of the first even zonal harmonic of the geopotential in the present and future LAGEOS-based Lense-Thirring tests?

The strategy followed so far in the performed or proposed tests of the general relativistic Lense-Thirring effect in the gravitational field of the Earth with laser-ranged satellites of LAGEOS type relies upon the cancelation of the disturbing huge precessions induced by the first even zonal harmonic coefficient J_2 of the multipolar expansion of the Newtonian part of the terrestrial gravitational potential by means of suitably designed linear combinations of the nodes Ωof more than one spacecraft. Actually, such a removal does depend on the accuracy with which the coefficients of the combinations adopted can be realistically known. Uncertainties of the order of 2 cm in the semimajor axes a and 0.5 milliarcseconds in the inclinations I of LAGEOS and LAGEOS II, entering the expression of the coefficient c_1 of the combination of their nodes used so far, yield an uncertainty δc_1 = 1.30 10^-8. It gives an imperfectly canceled J_2 signal of 10.8 milliarcseconds per year corresponding to 23% of the Lense-Thirring signature. Uncertainties of the order of 10-30 microarcseconds in the inclinations yield δc_1=7.9 10^-9 which corresponds to an uncanceled J_2 signature of 6.5 milliarcseconds per year, i.e. 14% of the Lense-Thirring signal. Concerning a future LAGEOS-LAGEOS II-LARES combination with coefficients k_1 and k_2, the same uncertainties in a and the less accurate uncertainties in I as before yield δk_1=1.1 10^-8, δk_2=2 10^-9; they imply a residual J_2 combined precession of 14.7 milliarcseconds per year corresponding to 29% of the Lense-Thirring trend. Uncertainties in the inclinations at about 10 microarcseconds level give δk_1=5 10^-9, δk_2 = 2 10^-9; the uncanceled J_2 effect is 7.9 milliarcseconds per year, i.e. 16% of the relativistic effect.

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