Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Space-Time Curvature and the General Theory of Relativity

Space-Time Curvature and the General Theory of Relativity

In 1905, Albert Einstein published his special theory of relativity. According to this theory, no matter in the universe can attain a speed greater than the speed of light in a vacuum, which thus serves as the speed limit of the universe.
This has been verified in many experiments. However, space and time are no longer absolute. Two observers moving relative to one another do not agree on the length of objects or the passage of time. The mechanics of objects based on Newton's laws of motion,...

Principle of Equivalence

Principle of Equivalence

According to Albert Einstein (1897-1955), free-falling and feeling weightless are intrinsically linked. If a person were in free-fall under gravity, for example, diving towards the Earth from an airplane, they would feel completely weightless. Similarly, a person descending in a lift may feel partially weightless. Broadly speaking, it is assumed that an object in a uniform gravitational field and an object undergoing constant acceleration in the absence of gravity are under the same...

Gravitation Between Spherically Symmetric Masses

Gravitation Between Spherically Symmetric Masses

The gravitational potential energy between two spherically symmetric bodies can be calculated from the masses and the distance between the bodies, assuming that the center of mass is concentrated at the respective centers of the bodies.

Schwarzschild Radius and Event Horizon

Schwarzschild Radius and Event Horizon

No object with a finite mass can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. This fact has an interesting consequence in the domain of extremely high gravitational fields.
The minimum speed required to launch a projectile from the surface of an object to which it is gravitationally bound so that it eventually escapes the object’s gravitational field is called the escape velocity. The escape velocity is independent of the mass of the object. Merging the idea of escape velocity with the...

Gauss's Law: Spherical Symmetry

Gauss's Law: Spherical Symmetry

A charge distribution has spherical symmetry if the density of charge depends only on the distance from a point in space and not on the direction. In other words, if the system is rotated, it doesn't look different. For instance, if a sphere of radius R is uniformly charged with charge density ρ0, then the distribution has spherical symmetry. On the other hand, if a sphere of radius R is charged so that the top half of the sphere has a uniform charge density ρ1 and the bottom half has a uniform...

Gauss's Law: Cylindrical Symmetry

Gauss's Law: Cylindrical Symmetry

A charge distribution has cylindrical symmetry if the charge density depends only upon the distance from the axis of the cylinder and does not vary along the axis or with the direction about the axis. In other words, if a system varies if it is rotated around the axis or shifted along the axis, it does not have cylindrical symmetry. In real systems, we do not have infinite cylinders; however, if the cylindrical object is considerably longer than the radius from it that we are interested in,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Hubble Tension as a Window on the Gravitation of the Dark Matter Sector.

Physical review letters·2024

Same author

First Predictions of the Angular Power Spectrum of the Astrophysical Gravitational Wave Background.

Physical review letters·2018

Same author

MICROSCOPE Mission: First Constraints on the Violation of the Weak Equivalence Principle by a Light Scalar Dilaton.

Physical review letters·2018

Same author

Weak Gravitational Lensing of Finite Beams.

Physical review letters·2017

Same author

Varying Constants, Gravitation and Cosmology.

Living reviews in relativity·2017

Same author

Can all cosmological observations be accurately interpreted with a unique geometry?

Physical review letters·2013

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models

Published on: November 15, 2013

Testing general relativity: from local to cosmological scales.

Jean-Philippe Uzan¹

¹Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, UMR-7095 du CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 98 bis bd Arago, 75014 Paris, France. uzan@iap.fr

Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences

|November 16, 2011

Summary

This study reviews tests of general relativity using cosmic structure and physics constants. It highlights the role of universe geometry in these tests and explores future directions.

More Related Videos

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

Published on: August 12, 2013

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO

Published on: February 12, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 27, 2026

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models

Published on: November 15, 2013

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

Published on: August 12, 2013

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO

Published on: February 12, 2013

Area of Science:

Cosmology
Astrophysics
Fundamental Physics

Background:

General relativity is the cornerstone of modern cosmology and astrophysics.
Testing general relativity on astrophysical scales is crucial for understanding gravity.
The large-scale structure of the universe and fundamental physical constants offer unique probes.

Purpose of the Study:

To summarize diverse tests of general relativity on astrophysical scales.
To emphasize the importance of assumptions about the universe's geometric structure.
To discuss the complementarity and potential extensions of these tests.

Main Methods:

Analysis of large-scale structure data.
Examination of physical constants.
Theoretical considerations of geometric structures.

Main Results:

General relativity is robustly tested across various astrophysical systems.
The choice of geometric hypotheses significantly impacts test outcomes.
Complementarity exists between different testing approaches.

Conclusions:

Astrophysical tests provide strong validation for general relativity.
Future research should explore extensions and refine geometric assumptions.
Interdisciplinary approaches enhance our understanding of gravity.