Toward a high-precision mass–energy test of the equivalence principle with atom interferometers

Zhou, Lin; Yan, Sitong; Ji, Yu-Hang; He, Chuan; Jiang, Junjie; Hou, Zhuo; Xu, R. X.; Wang, Qi; Li, Zhixin; Gao, Dongfeng; Liu, Min; Ni, Wei-Tou; Wang, Jin; Zhan, Min

doi:10.3389/fphy.2022.1039119

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Moreover, observations of the galactic center supermassive black hole can be complementary to MICROSCOPE and test of the LLI [384][385][386][387]. Finally, as mentioned in section 7.2, atom interferometrybased WEP tests [388][389][390] are fastly improving, reaching a precision of 10 −12 on the Eötvös parameter [256].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

MICROSCOPE’s view at gravitation

Bergé

2023

Rep. Prog. Phys.

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The weak equivalence principle (WEP) is the cornerstone of General Relativity (GR). Testing it is thus a natural way to confront GR to experiments, which has been pursued for four centuries with increasing precision. MICROSCOPE is a space mission designed to test the WEP with a precision of 1 in 10^15 parts, two orders of magnitude better than previous experimental constraints. After completing its two-year mission, from 2016 to 2018, MICROSCOPE delivered unprecedented precise constraints $\eta({\rm Ti, Pt})~=~ [-1.5 \pm 2.3~{\rm (stat)} \pm 1.5~{\rm (syst)}]~\times 10^{-15}$ (at 1σ in statistical errors) on the Eötvös parameter between one proof mass made of titanium and another made of platinum. This bound allowed for improved constraints on alternative theories of gravitation. This review discusses the science beyond MICROSCOPE – GR and its alternatives, with an emphasis on scalar-tensor theories – before presenting the experimental concept and apparatus. The mission’s science returns are then discussed before future tests of the WEP are introduced.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

MICROSCOPE’s view at gravitation

Bergé

2023

Rep. Prog. Phys.

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“…Compared to the Bragg-diffraction atom interferometers, the Raman-pulse atom interferometer introduced in Section 2 is more prevailing in the WEP test due to its simplicity and feasibility with looser requirements on the lasers. The Raman-pulse atom interferometer has been developed for gravity measurement since 1991 [91], such as reducing the systematic errors [70,92,102], increasing the fall-down time [103][104][105] and reducing the size of the interferometer for commercial or practical applications [106][107][108][109][110][111]. Currently, the Ramanpulse gravity measurement has reached the resolution of 4.5 × 10 −11 g/shot reported by the Zhan group [105] and the potential acceleration sensitivity of 6.7 × 10 −12 g/shot given by the Kasevich group [104].…”

Section: Developments and State Of The Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Raman-pulse atom interferometer has been developed for gravity measurement since 1991 [91], such as reducing the systematic errors [70,92,102], increasing the fall-down time [103][104][105] and reducing the size of the interferometer for commercial or practical applications [106][107][108][109][110][111]. Currently, the Ramanpulse gravity measurement has reached the resolution of 4.5 × 10 −11 g/shot reported by the Zhan group [105] and the potential acceleration sensitivity of 6.7 × 10 −12 g/shot given by the Kasevich group [104]. The above development of gravity measurement with atom interferometers has laid a good foundation for the WEP test.…”

Section: Developments and State Of The Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current Status and Prospects on High-Precision Quantum Tests of the Weak Equivalence Principle with Cold Atom Interferometry

Yuan,

Wu,

Yang

2023

Symmetry

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For a hundred years, general relativity has been the best theory to describe gravity and space–time and has successfully explained many physical phenomena. At the same time, quantum mechanics provides the most accurate description of the microscopic world, and quantum science technology has evoked a wide range of developments today. Merging these two very successful theories to form a grand unified theory is one of the most elusive challenges in physics. All the candidate theories that wish to unify gravity and quantum mechanics predict the breaking of the weak equivalence principle, which lies at the heart of general relativity. It is therefore imperative to experimentally verify the equivalence principle in the presence of significant quantum effects of matter. Cold atoms provide well-defined properties and potentially nonlocal correlations as the test masses and will also improve the limits reached by classical tests with macroscopic bodies. The results of rigorous tests using cold atoms may tell us whether and how the equivalence principle can be reformulated into a quantum version. In this paper, we review the principles and developments of the test of the equivalence principle with cold atoms. The status of the experiments and the key techniques involved are discussed in detail. Finally, we give an outlook on new questions and opportunities for further exploration of this topic.

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“…The first results of the WEP test based on AI came from S. Fray et al in 2004, they measured the gravitational accelerations of 85 Rb and 87 Rb atoms and obtained a test precision of 9 . Subsequently, various AI-based WEP test experiments were carried out 10 – 17 . The test mass covers rubidium, potassium, strontium, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The space cold atom interferometer for testing the equivalence principle in the China Space Station

Chen

Fang

et al. 2023

npj Microgravity

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The precision of the weak equivalence principle (WEP) test using atom interferometers (AIs) is expected to be extremely high in microgravity environment. The microgravity scientific laboratory cabinet (MSLC) in the China Space Station (CSS) can provide a higher-level microgravity than the CSS itself, which provides a good experimental environment for scientific experiments that require high microgravity. We designed and realized a payload of a dual-species cold rubidium atom interferometer. The payload is highly integrated and has a size of $$460\,{\rm{mm}}\times 330\,{\rm{mm}}\times 260\,{\rm{mm}}$$ 460 mm × 330 mm × 260 mm . It will be installed in the MSLC to carry out high-precision WEP test experiment. In this article, we introduce the constraints and guidelines of the payload design, the compositions and functions of the scientific payload, the expected test precision in space, and some results of the ground test experiments.

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Toward a high-precision mass–energy test of the equivalence principle with atom interferometers

Cited by 9 publications

References 47 publications

MICROSCOPE’s view at gravitation

MICROSCOPE’s view at gravitation

Current Status and Prospects on High-Precision Quantum Tests of the Weak Equivalence Principle with Cold Atom Interferometry

The space cold atom interferometer for testing the equivalence principle in the China Space Station

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