Interferometric Measurement of Acceleration at Relativistic Speeds

Understand

We show that an interferometer moving at a relativistic speed relative to a point source of light offers a sensitive probe of acceleration.

• Such an accelerometer contains no moving parts, and is thus more robust than conventional "mass-on-a-spring" accelerometers.
• In an interstellar mission to Alpha-Centauri, such an accelerometer could be used to measure the masses of planets around other stars as well as the mass distribution of the Milky Way Galaxy.