Evaluation of the Possibility to Find Voids inside the Great Pyramid by Microgravimeters

Abstract

Abstract The ancient pyramids keep a lot of mysteries and attract the attention of historians, archaeologists and just tourists from all over the world. Their assignment, construction methods and especially the discovery of previously unknown voids and structures inside them require further study using new technical solutions. The most famous of these structures is the Great (Khufu’s) Pyramid on the Giza plateau in Egypt. Since the middle of the last century, several non-destructive technical methods have been proposed for examining the internal structure of the pyramid. Electromagnetic translucence in the radio frequency range and the use of muon sensors are among them. Although the use of muon sensors has supposedly revealed two previously unknown voids within the Pyramid, independent confirmation of their presence is required. The article discusses the fundamental possibility of using gravimetry to examine the internal structure of the Great Pyramid, and analyzes combining it with other modern technical means including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the implementation of this project. The paper proposes the simplest model that allows evaluating the required accuracy of a microgravimeter capable detecting the supposed voids in the Pyramid. The advantage of this approach, in addition to its simplicity, is the ability easily checking the presented in paper results. The main purpose of writing the article is to draw the attention of the scientific community to another method of non-destructive testing for the study of the internal structure of the Great Pyramid and discussion further needed steps in this direction.