Detection of the gravitomagnetic field using an orbiting superconducting gravity gradiometer: principle and experimental considerations

The angular momentum of the Earth produces gravitomagnetic components of the Riemann curvature tensor, which are of the order of 10⁻¹⁰ of the Newtonian terms arising from the mass of the Earth. Due to the dragging of the local inertial frame by the spinning Earth, there are also secular terms, which grow in time. These fields can be detected in principle by a set of orbiting superconducting gravity gradiometers. The Riemann tensor components for various spacecraft orientations have been computed and the principle of detecting the gravitomagnetic tidal force has been published. In this paper, we review the conclusions of the earlier analyses and discuss the feasibility of the gravity gradiometer experiment.