Violation of the Weak Equivalence Principle in Theories of Gravity with a Nonsymmetric Metric

Clifford M. Will
Phys. Rev. Lett. 62, 369 – Published 23 January 1989
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Abstract

Theories of gravitation in which a nonsymmetric metric couples minimally to the electromagnetic field violate the weak equivalence principle (WEP) by predicting that test bodies with internal electrostatic energy fall with different accelerations. This further supports Schiff's conjecture that the WEP implies the Einstein equivalence principle whose consequence is that gravity is described by a symmetric spacetime metric. Constraints on the nonsymmetric gravitational theory of Moffat are placed using the results of a recent free-fall Galilean test of the WEP.

  • Received 17 October 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.62.369

©1989 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Clifford M. Will

  • McDonnell Center for Space Sciences, Department of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130

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Vol. 62, Iss. 4 — 23 January 1989

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