gravitational red shift
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history of astronomy
- In astronomy: Testing relativity
…predicted by Einstein was the gravitational redshift. Light coming from a compact massive object should be slightly redshifted; that is, the light should have a longer wavelength. Measuring this was a delicate business, as the expected shift was small and could easily be masked by other effects. Attempts to measure…
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Mössbauer effect
- In Mössbauer effect: Applications
…a direct demonstration of the gravitational red-shift; i.e., the change in the energy of a quantum of electromagnetic radiation as it moves through a gravitational field. This was accomplished by measuring the Doppler shift required to compensate for the change in the energy of the gamma ray resulting from a…
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relativity theory
- In relativity: Experimental evidence for general relativity
…directly and also through the gravitational redshift of light. Time dilation causes light to vibrate at a lower frequency within a gravitational field; thus, the light is shifted toward a longer wavelength—that is, toward the red. Other measurements have verified the equivalence principle by showing that inertial and gravitational mass…
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