
ESA funds Gravito-Magnetic research
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2006 @ 17:37:36 UTC Topic: Science
European researchers, funded by ESA, have stumbled upon very interesting properties of rotating superconducting rings, while performing tests of Einstein's predictions regarding gravitato-magnetic induction. They have discovered that "the measured field is a surprising one hundred million trillion times larger than Einstein's General Relativity predicts." Their resultant field strength is still minuscule, as it comes to 100 millionths of the Earth's acceleration, but it opens up a new path in the research of quantum gravity. More importantly, it proves that there is still much to be learned about the relationship of gravity and magnetism, and hopefully this experiment will intensify investigations into possible ways of generating gravitational effects by magnetic and electromagnetic means.
Quote from the article:
Scientists funded by the European Space Agency have
measured the gravitational equivalent of a magnetic field for the first
time in a laboratory. Under certain special conditions the effect is
much larger than expected from general relativity and could help
physicists to make a significant step towards the long-sought-after
quantum theory of gravity.
[...]
It demonstrates that a superconductive gyroscope
is capable of generating a powerful gravitomagnetic field, and is
therefore the gravitational counterpart of the magnetic coil. Depending
on further confirmation, this effect could form the basis for a new
technological domain, which would have numerous applications in space
and other high-tech sectors" says de Matos. Although just 100
millionths of the acceleration due to the Earth's gravitational field,
the measured field is a surprising one hundred million trillion times
larger than Einstein's General Relativity predicts. Initially, the
researchers were reluctant to believe their own results.
Full story at PhysOrg.com --> http://www.physorg.com/news12054.html
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