Version 1
: Received: 17 September 2018 / Approved: 18 September 2018 / Online: 18 September 2018 (05:23:11 CEST)
How to cite:
Acedo, L. Angular Momentum and Energy Transfer in a Whitehead's Theory of Gravity. Preprints2018, 2018090325. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0325.v1
Acedo, L. Angular Momentum and Energy Transfer in a Whitehead's Theory of Gravity. Preprints 2018, 2018090325. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0325.v1
Acedo, L. Angular Momentum and Energy Transfer in a Whitehead's Theory of Gravity. Preprints2018, 2018090325. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0325.v1
APA Style
Acedo, L. (2018). Angular Momentum and Energy Transfer in a Whitehead's Theory of Gravity. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0325.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Acedo, L. 2018 "Angular Momentum and Energy Transfer in a Whitehead's Theory of Gravity" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201809.0325.v1
Abstract
In this paper, we revisit a modified version of the classical Whitehead's theory of gravity in which all possible bilinear forms are considered to define the corresponding metric. Although, this is a linear theory that fails to give accurate results for the most sophisticated predictions of general relativity, such as gravity waves, it can still provide a convenient framework to analyze some new phenomena in the Solar System. In particular, recent development in the accurate tracking of spacecraft and the ephemerides of planetary positions have revealed certain anomalies in relation with our standard paradigm for celestial mechanics. Among them the so-called flyby anomaly and the anomalous increase of the astronomical unit play a prominent role. In the first case the total energy of the spacecraft changes during the flyby and a secular variation of the semi-major axis of the planetary orbits is found in the second anomaly. For this to happen it seems that a net energy and angular momentum transfer is taken place among the orbiting and the central body. We evaluate the total transfer per revolution for a planet orbiting the Sun in order to predict the astronomical unit anomaly in the context of Whitehead's theory. This could lead to a more deeply founded hypothesis for an extended gravity model.
Keywords
energy and angular momentum transfer; modified theories of gravity; anomalous increase of the astronomical unit
Subject
Physical Sciences, Astronomy and Astrophysics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
