Conventional non-Abelian SO(4) gauge theory is able to describe gravity provided the gauge field possesses a specific polarized vacuum state. In this vacuum the instantons and antiinstantons have a preferred direction of orientation. Their orientation plays the role of the order parameter for the polarized phase of the gauge field. The interaction of a weak and smooth gauge field with the polar...

g – standard gravitational acceleration, m/s μ gravitational constant, km/s mdry – spacecraft mass without fuel, kg mwet – spacecraft mass with total fuel, kg mhighF – high-thrust system fuel mass, kg mHSTF – hybrid system fuel mass, kg m02 – spacecraft mass after phase 1 of the transfer, kg ∆Vhigh – high-thrust only system ∆V, m/s ∆VH – high-thrust portion of hybrid system ∆V, m/s ∆VL – low-th...

A discussion is given of the uncertainty principle in view of the introduction of a Gravitational Planck Constant. The need for such a gravitational constant is shown first. A reduced electromagnetic Planck constant and the analogous reduced gravitational Planck constant are defined as h/e and H/m respectively. An attempt is made to reconcile the quantum uncertainty concepts with a deterministi...

The effect of introducing a fifth large-scale space-time dimension to the equations of orbital dynamics was analysed in an earlier paper by the authors. The results showed good agreement with the observed flat rotation curves of galaxies. This analysis did not require the modification of Newtonian dynamics, but rather only their restatement in a five dimensional framework. The same analysis der...

The four observables associated with gravitational lensing of distant quasars by intervening galaxies: image splittings, relative amplifications, time delays, and optical depths, provide separate measures of the strength of the gravitational constant G at cosmological distances. These allow one, in principle, to factor out unknown lensing parameters to directly to probe the variation of G over ...

We discuss in detail the semiclassical approximation for the CGHS model of two-dimensional dilatonic black holes. This is achieved by a formal expansion of the full Wheeler-DeWitt equation and the momentum constraint in powers of the gravitational constant. In highest order, the classical CGHS solution is recovered. The next order yields a functional Schrödinger equation for quantum fields prop...

In this paper we directly test the possibility that the Newtonian gravitational constant G may experience spatial variations over ranges ≈ 0.01− 5 AU in various extrasolar multi-planet systems by means of the third Kepler’s law. The answer is negative, within the experimental errors, for all the considered systems. A comparison with an analogous test previously performed in our Solar System is ...

Periodic oscillations are observed in Newton's gravitational constant G that are contemporaneous with length of day data obtained from the International Earth Rotation and Reference System (IERRS). Preliminary research has determined that the oscillatory period of G is ≈ 5.9 years (5.899 ± 0.062 years). In this paper, the oscillations are shown to be concomitant with the Earth's distance from t...

Applying the recently developed dynamical perturbation formalism on cosmological background to scalar-tensor theory, we provide a solid theoretical basis and a rigorous justification for phenomenological models of orbital dynamics that are currently used to interpret experimental measurements of the timedependent gravitational constant. We derive the field equations for the scalar-tensor pertur...

Lunar laser ranging (LLR) has been a workhorse for testing general relativity over the past four decades. The three retroreflector arrays put on the Moon by the Apollo astronauts and the French built arrays on the Soviet Lunokhod rovers continue to be useful targets, and have provided the most stringent tests of the Strong Equivalence Principle and the time variation of Newton's gravitational c...