Detall

Tests of General Relativity with LISA and ACES

By: Philippe Jetzer, University of Zurich

Date: Tuesday, 18 Nov, 2025 at 12:00

Place: Aula Magna Enric Casassas and YouTube Live

Abstract: Following the discovery in 2015 by the LIGO collaboration of the first gravitational wave signal, and the very successful LISA Pathfinder mission, LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) has been finally adopted by ESA as a mission in January 2024. LISA will be launched mid of the next decade. A goal of LISA is to test general relativity (GR). I will also discuss possible tests of GR, some of which have been studied in my research group at the University of Zurich. Another way to test GR, in particular its foundations like the equivalence principle, is via very precise atomic clocks. Last April ACES (Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space) has been launched in space and joined the International Space Station. ACES contains a very precise Cesium atomic clock, called Pharao. I will discuss the present status of the GR tests with atomic clocks and give a short overview of the research which has been done on this topic in my group in the last years.