Novel Tests of Gravity Below Fifty Microns

POSTER

Abstract

Theories which attempt to unify the Standard Model and General Relativity often include features which violate the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) and gravitational Inverse-Square Law (ISL). A violation of either the WEP or ISL at any length scale would bring into question our fundamental understanding of gravity. Motivated by these considerations, undergraduates and faculty at Humboldt State University are building an experiment to probe gravitational interactions below the 50-micron length scale. The experiment employs a torsion pendulum with equal masses of different material arranged as a ``composition dipole.'' We measure the twist of the torsion pendulum as an attractor mass is oscillated nearby in a parallel-plate configuration, providing a time varying torque on the pendulum. The size and distance dependence of the torque variation will provide a means to determine any deviation from the WEP or ISL at untested scales.

Authors

  • Jeremy Johnson

    Humboldt State University

  • Ethan Anderes

    UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - ALS, National Institute of Standards and Technology - NCNR, Univ of California - Davis, University of California, Davis, California State University, Long Beach, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Merced, UC Merced, U Central Florida, Paul Scherrer Institute, Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, Hartnell Comm Coll, University of Michigan, University of Nevada, Reno, National Security Technologies LLC, Livermore, California, Humboldt State University, Stanford University, San Diego State Univ, Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Eindhoven University of Technology, University Of Nevada Reno, Univ of Nevada - Reno, University of Chicago, Physics Department of the University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA, Institute for Academic Initiatives, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Institute for Academic Initiatives, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, Department of Physics, UC Davis, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Chemistry and of Physics, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76100, Einstein Centre for Local-Realistic Physics, Cal State Long Beach, University of nevada, Reno, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, University of Maryland, CERN, Univ of California, Davis

  • Ethan Anderes

    UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - ALS, National Institute of Standards and Technology - NCNR, Univ of California - Davis, University of California, Davis, California State University, Long Beach, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Merced, UC Merced, U Central Florida, Paul Scherrer Institute, Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, Hartnell Comm Coll, University of Michigan, University of Nevada, Reno, National Security Technologies LLC, Livermore, California, Humboldt State University, Stanford University, San Diego State Univ, Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Eindhoven University of Technology, University Of Nevada Reno, Univ of Nevada - Reno, University of Chicago, Physics Department of the University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA, Institute for Academic Initiatives, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Institute for Academic Initiatives, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, Department of Physics, UC Davis, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Chemistry and of Physics, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76100, Einstein Centre for Local-Realistic Physics, Cal State Long Beach, University of nevada, Reno, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, University of Maryland, CERN, Univ of California, Davis

  • Ethan Anderes

    UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - ALS, National Institute of Standards and Technology - NCNR, Univ of California - Davis, University of California, Davis, California State University, Long Beach, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Merced, UC Merced, U Central Florida, Paul Scherrer Institute, Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, Hartnell Comm Coll, University of Michigan, University of Nevada, Reno, National Security Technologies LLC, Livermore, California, Humboldt State University, Stanford University, San Diego State Univ, Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Eindhoven University of Technology, University Of Nevada Reno, Univ of Nevada - Reno, University of Chicago, Physics Department of the University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA, Institute for Academic Initiatives, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Institute for Academic Initiatives, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, Department of Physics, UC Davis, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Chemistry and of Physics, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76100, Einstein Centre for Local-Realistic Physics, Cal State Long Beach, University of nevada, Reno, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, University of Maryland, CERN, Univ of California, Davis

  • Ethan Anderes

    UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - ALS, National Institute of Standards and Technology - NCNR, Univ of California - Davis, University of California, Davis, California State University, Long Beach, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Merced, UC Merced, U Central Florida, Paul Scherrer Institute, Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, Hartnell Comm Coll, University of Michigan, University of Nevada, Reno, National Security Technologies LLC, Livermore, California, Humboldt State University, Stanford University, San Diego State Univ, Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Eindhoven University of Technology, University Of Nevada Reno, Univ of Nevada - Reno, University of Chicago, Physics Department of the University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA, Institute for Academic Initiatives, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Institute for Academic Initiatives, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, Department of Physics, UC Davis, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Chemistry and of Physics, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76100, Einstein Centre for Local-Realistic Physics, Cal State Long Beach, University of nevada, Reno, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, University of Maryland, CERN, Univ of California, Davis

  • Ethan Anderes

    UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - ALS, National Institute of Standards and Technology - NCNR, Univ of California - Davis, University of California, Davis, California State University, Long Beach, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Merced, UC Merced, U Central Florida, Paul Scherrer Institute, Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, Hartnell Comm Coll, University of Michigan, University of Nevada, Reno, National Security Technologies LLC, Livermore, California, Humboldt State University, Stanford University, San Diego State Univ, Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Eindhoven University of Technology, University Of Nevada Reno, Univ of Nevada - Reno, University of Chicago, Physics Department of the University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA, Institute for Academic Initiatives, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Institute for Academic Initiatives, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, Department of Physics, UC Davis, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Chemistry and of Physics, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76100, Einstein Centre for Local-Realistic Physics, Cal State Long Beach, University of nevada, Reno, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, University of Maryland, CERN, Univ of California, Davis

  • Ethan Anderes

    UC Davis, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - ALS, National Institute of Standards and Technology - NCNR, Univ of California - Davis, University of California, Davis, California State University, Long Beach, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Merced, UC Merced, U Central Florida, Paul Scherrer Institute, Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, Hartnell Comm Coll, University of Michigan, University of Nevada, Reno, National Security Technologies LLC, Livermore, California, Humboldt State University, Stanford University, San Diego State Univ, Institute of Mathematical Problems of Biology, Eindhoven University of Technology, University Of Nevada Reno, Univ of Nevada - Reno, University of Chicago, Physics Department of the University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA, Institute for Academic Initiatives, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, PPC and Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Institute for Academic Initiatives, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, Department of Physics, UC Davis, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Chemistry and of Physics, Univeristy of California Irvine, 92697, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76100, Einstein Centre for Local-Realistic Physics, Cal State Long Beach, University of nevada, Reno, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, University of Maryland, CERN, Univ of California, Davis

  • C.D. Hoyle

    Humboldt State University, Humboldt State Univ