investigator have devised a newfangled and utmost psychometric test for general relativity . They are using the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way and the stars that orbit it to see if Einstein ’s hypothesis of gravity is still valid under these extreme conditions .
The study , which is print inPhysical Review Letters , describes how 19 years ’ worth of observations of two star , S0 - 2 and S0 - 38 , was used to look for a deviation from the theory . The team supposed the existence of a fifth force to explain why we ca n’t include gravitational attraction in our particle physics models .
" This is really exciting , " co - source Andrea Ghez , director of the UCLA Galactic Center Group , said in astatement . " It ’s taken us 20 years to get here , but now our work on analyse mavin at the sum of our galaxy is opening up a fresh method of looking at how gravity works . "
No deviation was found in the current information and world-wide relativity continues to go past every test we have thrown its way . However , the test has not been used in the most extreme case yet . In summer 2018 , star S0 - 2 will be at its close-fitting point from Sagittarius A * , the Milky Way ’s supermassive blackened cakehole .
" By take in the stars move over 20 years using very precise measurements taken from Keck Observatory information , you could see and put restraint on how gravitational attraction play , " Ghez stated . " If gravitation is repulse by something other than Einstein ’s theory of General Relativity , you ’ll see small variations in the orbital itinerary of the stars . "
Nothing in skill is unquestionable , and while relativity has an unbeaten record , it still deserves examination . On top of that , there ’s the fact that somberness does n’t wreak well with the other three fundamental forces ( electromagnetism , strong nuclear , and unaccented nuclear ) , which suggests that there ’s a heap more we do n’t bonk about the true nature of gravity .
" It ’s exciting that we can do this because we can ask a very central question – how does gravity work ? " continue Ghez . " Einstein ’s hypothesis line it beautifully well , but there ’s lots of grounds usher the theory has holes . The bare existence of supermassive black holes say us that our current theory of how the universe works are inadequate to explain what a black hole is . "
The test could tell us something newfangled about sobriety or once again substantiate how well it is described by general relativity theory . Either means , we ’ll have a good understanding of how the universe work .
