Astrodynamics & Space Missions

October 20th, 2020

Astrodynamics & Space Missions Colloquium

You are kindly invited to attend the following Master Thesis Presentation

Student : Rens van der Zwaard

Date/ time : November 12th 2020 at 13:00

Location : Meeting room 1 (for committee members only)

Skype link: https://join.skype.com/jfuX2pa0Yz1t

Title : The influence of a dynamic solar shape on tests of gravitational theory

using observations of Mercury missions

Abstract

When the BepiColombo spacecraft arrives at Mercury in late 2025, it will be able to measure the orbit
of the planet with unprecedented accuracy, allowing for more accurate measurements of the
perihelion advance of the planet as predicted by the theory of General Relativity (GR).
A similar effect is produced by the gravitational oblateness of the Sun through the zonal coefficient
J2⊙, of which the exact value has been hard to determine despite centuries of observations, causing
high uncertainties in the experiments of GR. Recent publications in heliophysics suggest that J 2⊙ is not
a constant but a dynamic value that varies with solar magnetic activity, and that the next zonal effect
J4⊙ could also be of relevant influence.
The aim of this thesis is to analyse what the effect of a dynamic solar oblateness is on experiments of
the perihelion advance of Mercury as predicted by GR.
The orbit of Mercury and observations of the MESSENGER and BepiColombo spacecraft are simulated,
and parameters corresponding to gravitational theory as well as the oblateness J 2⊙ including a time-
variable component are estimated using a least-squares approach.
The result of the estimation is that the amplitude of a periodic component can be found with an
uncertainty of 2% of the value of J2⊙. It is also found that if a periodic component exists with an
amplitude higher than 1%, it can lead to errors in the experiments of GR to the point that results
oppose the theory of General Relativity. Expected values for J4⊙ from heliophysics currently do not
influence the orbit of Mercury by a measurable amount.

Dr. ir. W. van der Wal