Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2008
Department
Department of Physics and Computer Science
Abstract
Using a non-singular gravitational potential which appears in the literature we analytically derived and investigated the equations describing the precession of a body’s spin orbiting around a main spherical body of mass M. The calculation has been performed using a non-exact Schwarzschild solution, and further assuming that the gravitational field of the Earth is more than that of a rotating mass. General theory of relativity predicts that the direction of the gyroscope will change at a rate of 6.6 arcsec/year for a gyroscope in a 650 km high polar orbit. In our case a precession rate of the spin of a very similar magnitude to that predicted by general relativity was calculated resulting to a (ΔSgeo)/Sgeo =-5.570 x 10-2.
Recommended Citation
Haranas, I., Harney, M. Geodetic Precession of the Spin in a Non-Singular Gravitational Potential. Progress in Physics 2008 (1), 1-5.
Comments
"Geodetic Precession of the Spin in a Non-Singular Gravitational Potential" originally appeared in Progress in Physics and is licenced under CC BY-N-ND 2.5. Copyright © 2008 Ioannis Haranas and MIchael Harney.