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New test of the equivalence principle from lunar laser rangingAn analysis of six years of lunar-laser-ranging data gives a zero amplitude for the Nordtvedt term in the earth-moon distance yielding the Nordtvedt parameter eta = 0.00 plus or minus 0.03. Thus, earth's gravitational self-energy contributes equally, plus or minus 3%, to its inertial mass and passive gravitational mass. At the 70% confidence level this result is only consistent with the Brans-Dicke theory for omega greater than 29. We obtain the absolute value of beta - 1 less than about 0.02 to 0.05 for five-parameter parametrized post-Newtonian theories of gravitation with energy-momentum conservation.
Document ID
19760041363
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Williams, J. G.
(California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena Calif., United States)
Dicke, R. H.
(Princeton University Princeton, N.J., United States)
Bender, P. L.
(Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics Boulder, Colo., United States)
Alley, C. O.
(California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Currie, D. G.
(Maryland, University College Park, Md., United States)
Carter, W. E.
(LURE Observatory Kula, Hawaii, United States)
Eckhardt, D. H.
(USAF, Cambridge Research Laboratories, Bedford Mass., United States)
Date Acquired
August 8, 2013
Publication Date
March 15, 1976
Publication Information
Publication: Physical Review Letters
Volume: 36
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
76A24329
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASA ORDER W-549
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASW-2326
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS7-100
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGR-44-012-165
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGR-44-012-219
CONTRACT_GRANT: NASA ORDER W-13169
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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