Pound–Rebka experiment
E817767
The Pound–Rebka experiment was a landmark 1959 physics test that measured the gravitational redshift of gamma rays in Earth’s gravitational field, providing one of the first precise terrestrial confirmations of general relativity.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
gravitational redshift measurement
ⓘ
physics experiment ⓘ test of general relativity ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Pound–Rebka–Snider experiment NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| city | Cambridge, Massachusetts ⓘ |
| confirmationType | terrestrial test ⓘ |
| confirmedPredictionOf | Einstein’s general theory of relativity ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| detectorPosition | top of tower ⓘ |
| field |
experimental gravitation
ⓘ
nuclear physics ⓘ relativistic physics ⓘ |
| followedBy | Pound–Snider experiment NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| gravitationalField | Earth’s gravitational field ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | mid-20th century physics ⓘ |
| involves |
frequency shift proportional to gh/c²
ⓘ
gravitational potential difference ⓘ |
| location |
Harvard University
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Jefferson Physical Laboratory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| measured |
frequency shift of gamma rays
ⓘ
gravitational redshift ⓘ |
| namedAfter |
Glen A. Rebka Jr.
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Robert V. Pound NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| precision | high precision ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1960 ⓘ |
| publishedIn | Physical Review Letters NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
Mössbauer spectroscopy
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
equivalence principle NERFINISHED ⓘ gravitational time dilation ⓘ |
| result |
measured redshift agreed with general relativity within experimental error
ⓘ
observed gravitational redshift consistent with theory ⓘ |
| significance |
early experimental support for the equivalence principle
ⓘ
first precise terrestrial confirmation of gravitational redshift ⓘ |
| sourcePosition | bottom of tower ⓘ |
| status | landmark experiment in tests of general relativity ⓘ |
| testedTheory | general relativity NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedApparatus |
gamma-ray absorber
ⓘ
gamma-ray source ⓘ velocity transducer ⓘ |
| usedEffect | Mössbauer effect NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedIsotope | iron-57 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedRadiation | gamma rays ⓘ |
| usedTechnique |
Doppler shift compensation
ⓘ
resonant absorption of gamma rays ⓘ |
| usedTransitionEnergy | 14.4 keV ⓘ |
| verticalSeparation | about 22.5 meters ⓘ |
| year | 1959 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.