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A phenomenological model for the precession of planets and deflection of light
Arbab I. Arbab
 Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Khartoum, P.O. 321, Khartoum 11115, Sudan Department of Physics and Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Applied Science and Computer,Omdurman Ahlia University, P.O. Box 786, Omdurman, Sudan
E-mail: aiarbab@uofk.edu
We presented a phenomenological mode that attributes the precession of per-ihelion of planets to dipole distribution of matter and relativistic correction .This modifies Newton’s equation by adding an inversely cube term with dis-tance. The total energy of the new system is found to be the same as the New-tonian one. Moreover, we have deduced the deflection of light formula fromRutherford scattering. The relativistic term can be accounted for quantum cor-rection of the gravitational potential on electron orbit in hydrogen atom.
1 Introduction
Though Newton’s theory was successful in describing gravi-tational interactions related to the orbital motion of planets, itfell short to account for the anomalous precession of the peri-helion of Mercury and the bending of light by the Sun. In thisregard, Einstein theory of relativity predicts such extra terms.Hence, Einstein theory of general relativity became the theoryof gravitation. Objects with strong gravity like binary pul-sars are well treated by the general theory of relativity (GTR).According to GTR a gravitational wave is librated from thesehighly spinning objects. The experimental results confirm thetheoretical finding of the GTR [1,2].Careful observations of Mercury showed that the actualvalue of the precession disagreed with that calculated fromNewton’s theory by 43 seconds of arc per century. A numberof 
ad hoc
solutions had been proposed, but they tended to in-troduce more problems. In general relativity, this remainingprecession is explained by gravitation being mediated by thecurvature of space-time. The GTR predicts exactly the ob-served amount of perihelion shift. The precession of Mercurywas the result of many interactions with the planets of the so-lar System.However, inactualphysicalsituations, thegravitatingbodymay not be exactly spherical. For example, if the central bodyis spinning about its axis, it will be slightly oblate. In such acase, the Newtonian gravitational field is not spherically sym-metrical, and the force exerted on a test particle at a distance
r 
is not exactly proportional to
r 
−
2
. As a result, the actual orbitof a test particle in such a case will not be exactly Keplerian.In order to mimic the relativistic prediction it would be neces-sary to hypothesize a gravitational potential that is dependenton the angular velocity of the test particle, not just on its posi-tion. A relativistic kinetic energy correction to the Newtonianorbit will also have a similar contribution (i.e.,
∝
r 
−
2
).We consider in this letter a potential that varies inverselywith the cube of the radial distance. This is also equivalent toa relativistic correction to the Newtonian potential (or force).Calculations show that this term has a contribution exactlyequals to the GTR prediction. The cubic term can arise inthe Newton law of gravitation due to tidal force existing be-tween any two extendable objects. This term is responsible of slowing down the spin rotation of the Earth. Notice that a cu-bic term can be added to the Schwartzchild metric of generalrelativity. Hence, Newton law can still be hold for celestialobjects and becomes indistinguishable from GRT. The e
ff 
ectof this modified potential is to reduce the angular momentumof the planet by a relativistic correction.
2 The model
Consider here the potential energy produced by a mass distri-bution
M 
arising from monopole and dipole radial contribu-tion. These terms can be written as
U 
(
r 
)
=
−
GmM r 
−
mAr 
2
,
(1)
1
 
- - -where
m
is the mass of the test body in this potential energy.The first term the ordinary Newtonian potential energy, thesecond term arises due to a dipole distribution of the massproducing the potential energy. This term also mimics the rel-ativistic correction of the Newtonian term. If we believe thisterm embodies also the relativistic correction, using dimen-sional argument, only
M 
,
G
and
c
can be considered. Hence,one can write
 A
=
β
GM c
2
,
where
β
=
comst
..
(2)This will lead to a force,
F 
=
−
dU dr 
, on a body of mass
m
of the form
F 
=
−
mGM r 
2
−
2
 β
m
GM c
2
1
r 
3
.
(3)The second term in Eq.(3) can be written as
m
GM c
2
1
r 
3
=
GM rc
2
×
GmM r 
2
=
v
c
2
GmM r 
2
=
F 
 N 
v
c
2
,
(4)for a circular orbit, where
v
2
=
GM r 
and
F 
 N 
=
GmM r 
2
is theNewtonian gravitational force. Therefore, we may treat thesecond term in Eq.(3) as a relativistic correction to the New-tonian force.Noticethatinelectromagnetismadipolecontributioncomesfromthefactthatwehavepositiveandnegativecharges. How-ever, we see here even a negative mass doesn’t exist, the sec-ond term gives the same contribution, and has always an at-tractive nature. Such an additional attractive force will haveits e
ff 
ects on the orbital motion of Earth’s satellites. This termmight also arise due to tidal force which is inversely related tothe cube of the distance of the two bodies. This force eventu-ally leads to tidal locking of the two masses.The potential energy in Eq.(1) is that of a Keplerian mo-tion perturbed by an inverse cube force, hence Eq.(1) can bewritten as
U 
(
r 
)
=
−
GmM r 
−
m
 β
GM c
2
1
r 
2
.
(5)Once again, from the relativistic kinetic energy correction oneobtains a term of the form
38
m
v
4
c
2
. Hence, for
v
2
=
GM r 
, onefinds a contribution
∝
GM c
21
r 
2
to the potential energy. Usingthe Binet formula [3], Eq.(3) can be written as
F 
=
−
h
2
u
2
d 
2
ud 
ϕ
2
+
u
=
−
dU dr 
,
u
=
1
r 
,
(6)where
h
=
r 
2
d 
ϕ
dt 
.The additional term will induce and extra acceleration onorbiting bodies.The solution of Eq.(6) is given by [4]
r 
=
p
(1
+
e
cos
γϕ
)
,
(7)where1
−
γ 
2
=
2
mA Mh
2
,
p
=
γ 
2
h
2
GM 
,
e
2
−
1
=
2
 Eh
2
γ 
2
mG
2
,
 E 
=
−
GmM 
2
a
(8)and
E 
is the energy at the perihelion (
ϕ
=
0), so that
p
=
a
(1
−
e
2
). The radial period
P
is given by
P
=
2
πω
. The angular
∆
ϕ
of the perihelion precession during one period is
∆
ϕ
=
2
π
(1
−
γ 
)
γ 
2
π
(1
−
γ 
)
,
(9)and its mean precession rate per period is given by (for
γ 
1)
∆
ϕ
=
β
2
π
GM c
2
a
(1
−
e
2
)
.
(10)Comparing this equation with the Einstein formula, one ob-tains
 β
=
3
.
(11)Hence, Eq.(3) becomes
F 
=
−
mGM r 
2
−
6
m
GM c
2
1
r 
3
,
(12)and the corresponding potential energy
∗
in Eq.(5)
U 
(
r 
)
=
−
GmM r 
−
3
m
GM c
2
1
r 
2
.
(13)Thisimpliesthattheinclusionofarelativisticcorrection(and
 / 
ora dipole distribution) results in making the orbit precess withan angle coincides with the GTR prediction [1]. This is evi-dent if we use Eq.(4) in Eq.(9) so that one gets
∆
ϕ
=
6
π
v
c
2
(14)which is the precession angle per period.We remark here that if one included a force term,
F 
=
3
GmMh
2
c
2
r 
4
, besides Newton force, one would obtain a value closeto GTR precession.
∗
A modified Schwartzchild metric would become
ds
2
=
c
2
1
−
2
GM c
2
r 
−
6
G
2
 M 
2
c
4
r 
2
dt 
2
−
1
−
2
GM c
2
r 
−
6
G
2
 M 
2
c
4
r 
2
−
1
dr 
2
−
r 
2
d 
Ω
2
.
Moreover,
g
00
=
−
(1
+
2
U 
/
mc
2
)
2
 
- - -
3 Relativistic acceleration
The relativistic force in Eq.(12) (using Eq.(4)) produces anadditionalaccelerationonallplanetsofthesolarsystem, givenby
a
c
=
6
GM c
2
1
r 
3
,
a
c
=
3
.
55
×
10
−
10
1
r 
3
,
(15)where
a
c
is measured in
m
/
s
2
and
r 
in
AU 
.The centripetal force on a mass moving in a circular orbitunder this force is given by
m
v
2
r 
=
GmM r 
2
+
6
m
GM c
2
1
r 
3
.
(16)Hence, the orbital velocity will be
v
=
GM r 
1
+
3
GM c
2
1
r 
,
(17)for an orbit
r 
>
6
GM c
2
. Defining
r 
0
=
3
GM c
2
=
r 
0
=
4
.
4km for allplanets, Eq.(17) is transformed into
v
=
GM r 
1
+
r 
0
r 
.
(18)Hence, the orbital period will be
T 
T 
 N 
1
−
2
r 
0
r 
,
T 
2
 N 
=
4
π
2
GM r 
3
.
(19)Therefore, the period will be shorter than the Keplerian pe-riod. A significant period decay has been observed in binarypulsars, which is attributed to the emission of gravitationalwaves from these pulsars [5].The rate of energy loss due to gravitational radiation (bybinary pulsars) is given by [5]
dPdt 
=
−
48
π
5
c
5
4
π
GM P
5
/
3
,
(20)where
P
is the orbital period of the binary pulsar.The total energy of a mass
m
orbiting in a potential givenin Eq.(13) is
 E 
=
K 
+
U 
,
(21)where
K 
=
12
m
v
2
is the kinetic energy of the mass
m
. In polarcoordinates (
r 
,θ 
) this can be written as
 E 
=
12
m
˙
r 
2
+
r 
2
˙
θ 
2
−
GmM r 
−
3
m
GM c
2
,
L
=
mr 
2
˙
θ,
(22)where
L
is the angular momentum. This can be written as anequation of the mass
m
in an e
ff 
ective potential (
U 
 E 
)
 E 
=
12
m
˙
r 
2
+
U 
 E 
,
U 
 E 
=
L
2
2
mr 
2
−
GmM r 
,
(23)where
 L
2
=
L
2
−
6
GmM c
2
,
(24)is the reduce angular momentum of the mass. Thus
L
shouldbe the conserved angular momentum and not
L
as defined inEq.(22).Using Eqs.(13) and (16) this yields
 E 
=
−
GmM 
2
r 
.
(25)This is the same as the Newtonian total energy. Thus, thepotential we have considered is unique. This may suggest thatgravity is not exactly inverse square law. What happens hereis that due to the extra force term, the velocity increases whilethe distance decreases in such a way the total energy remainsconstant. Notice that if we had included any other terms in thepotential energy, we wouldn’t have obtained this conclusion.
4 Deflection of light and Rutherford deflection
Gravitational deflection of light by matter is one of the defin-ing predictions of Einstein’s General Relativity (GR) [1, 2].According to GR, the deflection of a light ray just grazing theSun is 1
.
75 seconds of arc. The deflection angle at a Sun’s rim
b
(impact parameter) is given by
∆
θ 
=
4
GM bc
2
.
(26)The light is deflected towards the Sun. GR interprets thisbending of light to the curvature of space-time the Sun makeswhen light passed by the Sun. However, Newton obtained avalue halved this value, using the Newtonian laws. One of the important events to test the bending of light was done in
3
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