With the participation of the Center for Cosmology and Astrophysics of the A. I. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (AANL), the article “LARES-2 satellite measures frame-dragging effect around the Earth” has been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature.
Among the co-authors of the article is Professor Vahagn Gurzadyan, Head of the AANL Center for Cosmology and Astrophysics. The Center is involved in the LARES satellite program of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA).
The article presents the results of an analysis of data from the LARES-2, LAGEOS, and GRACE satellites, which enabled scientists to measure the frame-dragging effect with exceptional precision.
This phenomenon was predicted by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity and describes how a rotating massive body—in this case, the Earth—affects the structure of the spacetime “fabric” around it.
The results of the study confirm the predictions of general relativity in the vicinity of the Earth, providing approximately ten times greater precision compared with previous measurements.
In addition to its significance for fundamental physics, the research also has important practical implications for more precise studies of the Earth’s gravitational field and tidal phenomena.
The LARES-2 program is being carried out within the framework of international cooperation involving the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the European Space Agency (ESA), and a number of leading scientific centers.
The research results have received broad international attention. They were also covered by the renowned popular science magazine Scientific American in an article entitled “The Earth is dragging spacetime around its orbit, just as Einstein predicted,” which presented the LARES-2 measurements as one of the most precise measurements of the frame-dragging effect achieved to date.
See also: TASS — “Впервые установлено, как притяжение Земли "закручивает" пространство”.
The LARES team immediately after the satellite launch: Matzner, Gurzadyan, Ciufolini, and Paolozzi.
European Space Agency station, Kourou, French Guiana, 2022.
November
AANL to Participate in the “Science × Business” Conference
Septmber
AANL Participated in the “European Researchers’ Night in Armenia” Science Festival
Septmber
AANL Participated in the “BanUGorts․ YSU Expo-2026” Exhibition
July
An Amateur Chess Tournament Was Held at AANL
July
Presentation of the Armenian Translations of Works by Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr Held at AANL
June
International Children’s Day
May
AANL’s Participation in the International Exhibition “Global Education EXPO 2026”
February
AANL Participation in the “Successful R&I in Europe 2026” European Networking Event
December - April
Seminar at AANL Dedicated to Ruben Mkrtchyan’s 70th Anniversary
December - June
Year-End Summary Event at AANL
Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Highlights AANL Scientist Hui Liu’s Research in Quantum Physics
Three AANL Projects Guaranteed Funding under the “Foreign Scientists” Competitions
AANL Director Participated in an International Study Visit in Austria
PhD Thesis Defense: Haykuhi Mkrtchyan
Three AANL Projects Awarded Funding under the “Professional Training 2026” Competition
“Progress through Effective Science 2026” (PES-2026)
Horizon Europe Proposal Writing Camp
Educational Manual on “Small Modular Reactors”
Results of the “Demand-Driven Research Projects – 2025” Competition
Article on “Strongly Energy-Dependent Transition Radiation in a Photonic Crystal”
Results of the “Experimental Development Projects – 2025” Competition
AANL Researchers Publish Article on C18/18 Cyclotron Proton Beam Diagnostics
AANL Scientists Record Increased Solar Activity
“Katil” Preschool Has Opened at 12 Alikhanyan Brothers Street
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