The gravitational phase shift test of general relativity

The aim of this paper is to study the extra phase shift that general relativity (GR) predicts for a radial light ray propagating in the vicinity of a static spherical symmetric body. It appears that the gravitational phase shift test yields a better sensitivity than the gravitational frequency shift or the excess time delay of the photons. An experiment is proposed for this new test of GR pertaining exclusively to the wave aspect of light.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. The abstract and experiments description are lengthened ; typos and sign errors correcte

General relativity and quintessence explain the Pioneer anomaly

The anomalous time depending blueshift, the so-called "Pioneer anomaly", that was detected in the radio-metric data from Pioneer 10/11, Ulysses and Galileo spacecraft may not result from a real change of velocity. Rather, the Pioneer anomaly may be understood within the framework of general relativity as a time depending gravitational frequency shift accounting for the time dependence of the density of the dark energy when the latter is identified with quintessence. Thus, instead of being in conflict with Einstein equivalence principle, the main Pioneer anomaly appears merely as a new validation of general relativity in the weak field and low velocity limit.Comment: 14 pages, no figur

Temporal variation of Earth-based gravitational constant measurements

As one knows, strong discrepancies are found between the different precise measurements of the gravitational constant carried out in Earth-based laboratories. While the precision are increasing in different laboratories and with various methods, these measurements are even more and more discordant. We have shown since 2002 that an improved 5D Kaluza-Klein (KK) theory may provide a satisfactory explanation to these discrepancies by referring to the geomagnetic field as a possible cause. Here we take advantage of different precise measurements performed at the same location but at different epoch to address the temporal variation of the gravitational constant measurements.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 9 table

A scalar field modelling of the rotational curves of spiral galaxies

In a previous work \cite{mbeleka}, we have modelled the rotation curves (RC) of spiral galaxies by including in the equation of motion dynamical terms from an external real self-interacting scalar field, $\phi$, minimally coupled to gravity and which respects the equivalence principle in the absence of electromagnetic fields. This model appears to have three free parameters : the turnover radius, $r_{0}$, the maximum rotational velocity, $v_{max} = v(r_{0})$, plus a strictly positive integer, $n$. Here, the coupling of the $\phi$-field to other kinds of matter is emphasized at the expense of its self-interaction. This reformulation presents the very advantageous possibility that the same potential may be used now for all galaxies. New correlations are established.Comment: 6 pages, poster presented at the symposium "The Dark Universe : Matter, Energy, and Gravity", 2 - 5 April 2001, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore (USA, edited by M. Livio

A solution to the proton and deuteron size puzzle and the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon

We show that a proposal which involves an effective radius derived from an effective potential that includes a linear extra-potential may solve both the proton and deuteron size puzzle. Moreover, this solution preserves the e-{\mu} universality and helps to solve the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon too. Still, it is consistent with the rms magnetic radius of the proton and deuteron, the rms charge radius of both the ordinary and muonic C12 as well as the kaonic and pionic X-rays spectroscopy.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Stream of dark matter as a possible cause of the opera clocks' synchronization signals delay

A stream of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) gravitationally scattered outwards within the Earth yields a delay, \delta t \simeq 60 ns, in good agreement with the results of the OPERA experiment. Conversely, the OPERA experiment may be seen as the unveiling of the first hint of a dark matter particle probed with the photons of the GPS communication signals and using the neutrino beam of the CNGS as a velocity standard. Our analysis yields the true neutrino velocity, V_{\nu}, less than the speed of light in vacuum, one finds (V_{\nu} - c)/c = - (1.8 \pm 0.4) x 10^{-9}. A new experimental test still predicting \delta t \sim 60 ns instead of \delta t \sim 600 ns is suggested, based on the use of the long baseline of the order 7 800 km between either the Fermilab neutrino production site and the OPERA detector or the CERN neutrino production site and the MINOS detector.Comment: 5 pages, no figur

Comment on "Constraining a possible dependence of Newton's constant on the Earth's magnetic field"

Recently A. Rathke has argued that the KK$\psi$ model explanation of the discrepant measurements of Newton's constant is already ruled out due to E\"otv\"os experiments by several orders of magnitude. The structure of the action of the KK$\psi$ model is even qualified as inconsistent in the sense that it would yield a negative energy of the electromagnetic field. Here, I refute both claims and emphasize the possibility still open to reconcile the experimental bounds on the test of the weak equivalence principle (WEP) with scalar-tensor theories in general by some compensating mechanism.Comment: Latex2e, 10 pages, no figur

Special relativity is consistent with the opera measurements of the neutrino "velocity"

We show that special relativity (SR) may be consistent with the OPERA measurements of the neutrino velocity provided the latter is corrected for the second order term in V^2/c^2 implied by the velocity, V, of the alpha particles from radioactive rocks of the experiment area, when properly accounted for in the SR velocity addition law. An upper bound has been set on the velocity of the OPERA neutrinos by using the deformed dispersion relation suggested by the result of the experiment OPERA itself.Comment: 5 pages, no figur

Motion of a test body in the presence of an external scalar field which respects the weak equivalence principle

It is shown that the main contribution to the rotational curve of a spiral galaxy may be due essentially to the interaction, in the general relativistic spacetime, of the galactic matter with a very light long range scalar field which respects the weak equivalence principle. The comparison of the theoretical results with 23 spiral galaxy rotation curves shows a good agreement between our proposal and observations.Comment: 13 pages, proceedings of the international conference "Conceptions of space in physics", 29 September - 3 October 1997, Les Houches (France), edited by Z. A. Golda, M. Heller and M. Lachieze-Re

Quantum Fluctuations Contribution to the Random Walk of a Single Molecule and New Estimate of the Planck Constant

It is shown, by considering the case of the harmonic oscillator, that quantum fluctuations may be the most significant contribution to the random walk of a single molecule. From this point, the controversy on the existence of a standard quantum limit (SQL) is addressed and settled on the experimental ground. Comparisons to the experimental data yet avalaible in the literature provide a new estimate of the reduced Planck constant yielding \hbar = (1.1 \pm 0.2) ~ 10^{-34} J.s.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur