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Meetings

William Fairbank Meetings

A meeting series dedicated to relativistic gravitational experiments in space, honoring William M. Fairbank and his role in precision gravitational physics.

First MeetingSecond MeetingThird Meeting
First William Fairbank MeetingSecond William Fairbank MeetingThird William Fairbank Meeting

Precision Gravity In The Spirit Of Bill Fairbank

The William Fairbank Meetings were organized around relativistic gravitational experiments in space. The first meeting, held in Rome in September 1990, gathered scientists working on the experimental frontiers of general relativity, satellite tests, cryogenic techniques, and gravitational measurements.

William M. Fairbank was closely associated with precision gravitational physics, low-temperature experimental methods, and ambitious tests of fundamental physics. The meetings honored both his scientific work and the open technical exchange that colleagues associated with him.

The third meeting was held together with the First ICRANet Workshop and focused on the Lense-Thirring effect: the coupling between rotation and orbital motion predicted by general relativity. The program connected theory, satellite experiments, neutron stars, black holes, and the broader field of gravitomagnetism.

Scientific Focus

The series linked experimental gravitational physics with the theoretical and observational problems that motivate precision measurements. The 1998 meeting, in particular, reviewed the status of Gravity Probe B, LAGEOS-based measurements, and possible signatures of frame dragging around compact astrophysical objects.

  • Relativistic gravitational experiments in space
  • Gravity Probe B and precision tests of general relativity
  • The Lense-Thirring effect and gravitomagnetism
  • Experimental, theoretical, and observational approaches to gravitational physics
  • Neutron stars, black holes, and satellite tests around the Earth

Meetings Archive

Browse the meetings by year, with the location, scientific theme, and program for each event.