Dereli, T. and Tucker, R.W. (2002) On the detection of scalar field induced spacetime torsion. Modern Physics Letters A, 17 (7). pp. 421-428. ISSN 0217-7323
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
We argue that the geodesic hypothesis based on autoparallels of the Levi-Cività connection may need refinement in the scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Based on a reformulation of the Brans-Dicke theory in terms of a connection with torsion determined dynamically in terms of the gradient of the Brans-Dicke scalar field, we compute the perihelion shift in the orbit of Mercury on the alternative hypothesis that its worldline is an autoparallel of a connection with torsion. If the Brans-Dicke scalar field couples significantly to matter and test particles move on such worldlines, the current time keeping methods based on the conventional geodesic hypothesis may need refinement.