[FPSPACE] Pioneer anomaly: a drift in the proper time of the spacecraft

[LARRY KLAES]

Pioneer anomaly: a drift in the proper time of the spacecraft

Authors: Vikram H. Zaveri

(Submitted on 24 Sep 2007)

Abstract: A relativistic theory is proposed to explain the anomalous 
accelerations of Pioneer 10/11, Galileo and Ulysses spacecrafts. The theory 
points out at the limitations of the weak field approximation and proposes a 
drift in the proper time of the spacecraft outside the framework of general 
relativity. In this theory the proper time of a body is associated with the 
gravitational frequency shift of the constituent fundamental particles of 
the body. The frequency shift changes the energy level of the body which 
gets reflected in its motion. This change in energy level causes the time 
like geodesics to deviate from that of the standard theoretical models. We 
introduce proper time in the line element of a metric theory according to a 
fixed set of rules laid down by general relativity for introducing deviation 
in the flat Minkowski metric. The frequency shift for bodies of different 
composition traversing different trajectories however, is not the same and 
this gets reflected in its motion as an unmodeled anomalous effect. This 
association of proper time with the gravitational frequency shift of the 
body requires the flat Minkowski metric to deviate in different ways for 
different two body systems. This solves the problem of anomalous 
acceleration in a very simple way. Gravitational redshift of light, bending 
of light and perihelic precession of planets are within the permissible 
limits.

Comments:  4 pages

Subjects:  Mathematical Physics (math-ph); Astrophysics (astro-ph); General 
Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)

Cite as:  arXiv:0709.3690v1 [math-ph]

Submission history

From: Vikram Zaveri [view email]

[v1] Mon, 24 Sep 2007 05:52:25 GMT (9kb)

http://arxiv.org/abs/0709.3690