FrameDragging

Framedragging, more commonly written as frame dragging or frame-dragging, is a general relativity effect in which the rotation of a massive body twists the surrounding spacetime. In the weak-field, slow-rotation limit, the phenomenon is described by the Lense-Thirring effect and is sometimes referred to in the broader framework of gravitomagnetism, an analogy to magnetic fields in electromagnetism.

The underlying idea is that mass-energy and its motion influence the geometry of spacetime. A rotating body, such as the Earth or a spinning black hole, drags nearby inertial frames along with its rotation. This leads to tiny precessions in the orbits of nearby objects and in the orientation of gyroscopes.

Historically, frame dragging was predicted by Josef Lense and Hans Thirring in 1918 as part of general relativity. It has since been the subject of experimental tests and observational studies aimed at detecting its small, cumulative effects. For Earth-orbiting satellites, frame dragging produces minute changes in orbital elements, such as the nodal precession of the orbital plane. For gyroscopes, as in space-based experiments, it manifests as a gradual shift in spin direction. Experiments such as Gravity Probe B and satellite laser ranging with LAGEOS have provided measurements consistent with frame-dragging within the reported uncertainties.

Significance of frame dragging lies in its role as a test of general relativity in weak gravitational fields and its relevance to astrophysical processes. In the vicinity of rotating black holes, frame dragging influences accretion disks, jet formation, and the orientation of matter in the ergosphere, contributing to phenomena described by the Bardeen-Petterson effect.

Notes: while framedragging is sometimes used as a single word, the standard spellings are frame dragging or frame-dragging.