Chronometric measurement of orthometric height differences by means of atomic clocks

Resumo

We report on the experimental results of testing a new physical method of determination of the gravitational potential differences and orthometric heights by measuring the relativistic effect of gravitational redshift of frequency by means of atomic clocks. The experiment was performed in the Altai Mountains between two geodetic stations, Shebalino and Sieminski Pass, separated by about 850 meters in altitude. The measured mean value of the frequency shift caused by the change in the gravitational potential between the two stations is (δf/f₀)_grav = 7.980 × 10⁻¹⁴, with the dispersion σ_f = 7.27 × 10⁻¹⁵ referred to the time interval of the experiment.