GPS AND RELATIVITY: AN ENGINEERING OVERVIEW
Henry F. Fliegel and Raymond S. DiEsposti
GPS Joint Program Office
The Aerospace Corporation
El Segundo, California 09245, USA
Conclusion (from the paper):
Except for the leading [gamma] factor, it is the same as the formula derived in classical physics for the signal travel time from the GPS satellite to the ground station. As we have shown, introducing the [gamma] factor makes a change of only 2 or 3 millimeters to the classical result. In short, there are no "missing relativity terms." They cancel out.
An alternative hypothesis to why atomic clock rates change and additional analysis of relativity and GPS:
Rethinking Relativity
Tom Blethel
If that's true, then how is it that the satellites that were put into orbit with a relativistic frequency correction *work*? They should be outputting at the wrong frequency, and thus be non-functional, no?
ReplyDeleteThe 1995 Fliegel and DeEsposti paper has since been showed flawed. Further - and what you're getting at Brian - is that GPS includes these corrections and works, and you can get further info on the corrections. For more info, see:
ReplyDeleteSubsequent paper on relativistic effects and GPS, referencing the above paper:
http://www.pttimeeting.org/archivemeetings/1997papers/Vol%2029_08.pdf
Technical details of corrections and experiments:
http://relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrr-2003-1/
GPS implementation related document, including relativistic effects:
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/GPS/geninfo/IS-GPS-200D.pdf
And more generally:
http://dealingwithcreationisminastronomy.blogspot.com/2009/04/scott-rebuttal-i-gps-relativity.html