Proposal for a Real-Time Detection of our Acceleration through Space

Area of Science:

• Cosmology and Astrophysics
• Astrometry
• Fundamental Physics

Background:

• The motion of our solar system relative to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) causes a real-time change in the apparent angular positions of extragalactic sources.
• This phenomenon, known as aberration drift, is influenced by our proper acceleration and the large-scale distribution of matter in the universe.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and formalize a novel cosmological test based on the aberration drift signal.
• To explore the potential of this test for probing fundamental cosmological parameters and searching for new physics beyond the standard model.

Main Methods:

• Development of the theoretical formalism for detecting and analyzing the cosmological component of aberration drift.
• Simulation of future high-precision astrometric experiments to forecast the achievable accuracy of this measurement.

Main Results:

• The cosmological aberration drift signal, arising from non-inertial motion due to matter distribution, is theoretically detectable with future astrometric capabilities.
• Simulated forecasts indicate the potential accuracy for implementing this novel cosmological test.

Conclusions:

• The aberration drift offers a new avenue for consistency tests of the standard cosmological model.
• This method can provide independent constraints on the Hubble constant and the growth rate of cosmic structures.
• It holds promise for discovering evidence of physics beyond the current standard model.