Battat, JamesStubbs, ChristopherChandler, John2012-01-232008Battat, James, Christopher Stubbs, and John Chandler. 2008. Solar system constraints on the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati braneworld theory of gravity. Physical Review D 78(2): 022003.1550-2368http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:8004951A number of proposals have been put forward to account for the observed accelerating expansion of the Universe through modifications of gravity. One specific scenario, Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (DGP) gravity, gives rise to a potentially observable anomaly in the solar system: all planets would exhibit a common anomalous precession, \(dw/dt\), in excess of the prediction of General Relativity. We have used the Planetary Ephemeris Program (PEP) along with planetary radar and radio tracking data to set a constraint of \(|dw/dt|\) < 0.02 arcseconds per century on the presence of any such common precession. This sensitivity falls short of that needed to detect the estimated universal precession of \(|dw/dt| = 5 \times10^4\) arcseconds per century expected in the DGP scenario. We discuss the fact that ranging data between objects that orbit in a common plane cannot constrain the DGP scenario. It is only through the relative inclinations of the planetary orbital planes that solar system ranging data have sensitivity to the DGP-like effect of universal precession. In addition, we illustrate the importance of performing a numerical evaluation of the sensitivity of the data set and model to any perturbative precession.en-USJournal Article2012-01-2310.1103/PhysRevD.78.022003