Measurement of the Solar Gravitational Deflection of Radio Waves using Geodetic Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry Data, 1979–1999

S. S. Shapiro, J. L. Davis, D. E. Lebach, and J. S. Gregory
Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 121101 – Published 26 March 2004

Abstract

We used very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) to measure the deflection by the Sun of radio waves emanating from distant compact radio sources. This bending is characterized in the parametrized post-Newtonian formalism by γ, which is unity in general relativity. Using a large geodetic VLBI data set, we obtained γ=0.99983±0.00045 (estimated standard error). We found no systematic biases from our analysis of subgroups of data.

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  • Received 2 November 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.121101

©2004 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

S. S. Shapiro1,2,*, J. L. Davis2,†, D. E. Lebach2,‡, and J. S. Gregory1,§

  • 1Department of Physics, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina 27410, USA
  • 2Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

  • *Electronic address: sshapiro@guilford.edu
  • Electronic address: jdavis@cfa.harvard.edu
  • Electronic address: dlebach@cfa.harvard.edu
  • §Now serving in AmeriCorps.

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Issue

Vol. 92, Iss. 12 — 26 March 2004

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