SIGNIFICANT EVENTS - SCIENCE EVENTS
12/14/01

Theory Derives Parameters of Relativity Theory

Two Russian physicists working for Project SEE (Satellite Energy Exchange) in the Fundamental Physics ground research program have succeeded in using what is known as "brane theory"--which is a generalization of "string theory"-- to calculate the values of some parameters that describe the difference between Einstein's theory of general relativity and other theories that are similar. These parameters are the "Parameterized Post Newtonian" (PPN) parameters beta and gamma. The PPN scheme was worked out 30 years ago by physicists Ken Nordtvedt, Kip Thorne, and Clifford Will to describe the departures from general relativity that might be observable from experiments in the solar system if Einstein's theory is not quite right. This is the first calculation of any of the PPN parameters from brane theory. This new result is a major step toward testing which classes of brane theory are consistent with experimental evidence.

The Russian physicists who obtained this result are Vitaly Melnikov and Vladimir Ivashchuk. Prof. Melnikov, the president of the Russian Gravitational Society, presented an invited talk at the 2000 Fundamental Physics investigator workshop.

Citation for this work:
V.D. Ivashchuk, V.S. Manko, & V.N. Melnikov, "PPN Parameters for General Black Hole and Spherically Symmetric p-Brane Solutions", Gravitation & Cosmology v.6 No.3 (23), pp. 219-224 (2001).