Frontiers in Relativistic Celestial Mechanics / Applications and Experiments

The DeGruyter Studies in Mathematical Physics are devoted to the publication of monographs and high-level texts in mathematical physics. They cover topics and methods in fields of current interest, with an emphasis on didactical presentation. The series will enable readers to understand, apply and develop further, with sufficient rigor, mathematical methods to given problems in physics. For this reason, works with a few authors are preferred over edited volumes. The works in this series are aimed at advanced students and researchers in mathematical and theoretical physics. They also can serve as secondary reading for lectures and seminars at advanced levels.

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Relativistic celestial mechanics – investigating the motion celestial bodies under the influence of general relativity – is a major tool of modern experimental gravitational physics. With a wide range of prominent authors from the field, this two-volume series consists of reviews on a multitude of advanced topics in the area of relativistic celestial mechanics – starting from more classical topics such as the regime of asymptotically-flat spacetime, light propagation and celestial ephemerides, but also including its role in cosmology and alternative theories of gravity as well as modern experiments in this area. This second volume of a two-volume series covers applications of the theory as well as experimental verifications. From tools to determine light travel times in curved space-time to laser ranging between earth and moon and between satellites, and impacts on the definition of time scales and clock comparison techniques, a variety of effects is discussed. On the occasion of his 80-th birthday, these two volumes honor V. A. Brumberg – one of the pioneers in modern relativistic celestial mechanics. Contributions include: J. Simon, A. Fienga: Victor Brumberg and the French school of analytical celestial mechanics T. Fukushima: Elliptic functions and elliptic integrals for celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy P. Teyssandier: New tools for determining the light travel time in static, spherically symmetric spacetimes beyond the order G2 J. Müller, L. Biskupek, F. Hofmann and E. Mai: Lunar laser ranging and relativity N. Wex: Testing relativistic celestial mechanics with radio pulsars I. Ciufolini et al.: Dragging of inertial frames, fundamental physics, and satellite laser ranging G. Petit, P. Wolf, P. Delva: Atomic time, clocks, and clock comparisons in relativistic spacetime: a review