Estimates of the change rate of solar mass and gravitational constant based on the dynamics of the Solar System

¹ Institute of Applied Astronomy of Russian Academy of Sciences (IAA RAS), Kutuzov Quay 10, 191187 St.Petersburg, Russia
e-mail: evp@iaaras.ru
² St.Petersburg State University, Universitetski pr. 28, 198504 Petrodvoretz, Russia
e-mail: ai@astro.spbu.ru
³ St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University, ul. Professora Popova 5, 197376 St. Petersburg, Russia
e-mail: dapavlov@etu.ru

Received: 11 November 2020
Accepted: 3 February 2021

Abstract

The estimate of the change rate of the solar gravitational parameter d(GM_⊙)∕dt is obtained from processing modern positional observations of planets and spacecraft. Observations were processed and parameters were determined basing on the numerical planetary ephemeris EPM2019. The obtained annual decrease in solar mass M_⊙ accounts for the loss through radiation Ṁ_⊙rad, through the outgoing solar wind Ṁ_⊙wind, and for the material falling on the Sun Ṁ_⊙fall. The estimated relative value is within −13.4×10⁻¹⁴ < (Ṁ_⊙/Ṁ_⊙)_{rad+wind+fall} < −8.7×10⁻¹⁴ per year. The following range for the change rate of the gravitational constant G was obtained: −2.9 × 10⁻¹⁴ < Ġ∕G < + 4.6 × 10⁻¹⁴ per year (3σ). The new result reduces the interval for the change in G and narrows the limits of possible deviations for alternative gravitational theories from general relativity.