STE-QUEST-test of the universality of free fall using cold atom interferometry
STE-QUEST-test of the universality of free fall using cold atom interferometry
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DOI：
10.1088/0264-9381/31/11/115010
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发表时间：
2014-06-07
影响因子：
3.5
通讯作者：
Zahzam, N.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Aguilera, D. N.;Ahlers, H.;Zahzam, N.
广义相对论描述了由引力影响驱动的宏观现象，而量子力学则出色地解释了微观效应。尽管他们个人取得了巨大的成功，但基本相互作用的完全统一仍然是现代理论物理学中最具挑战性和最重要的任务之一。时空探测器和量子等价原则空间测试卫星任务是欧洲航天局(ESA)宇宙愿景计划中的一项中等规模任务，旨在通过两个实验高精度测试广义相对论，方法是通过比较地钟来测量太阳和月球的引力红移，并通过比较RB-85和RB-87的两个玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体的轨迹来测试物质波在地球引力场中自由落体的普适性。由于原子干涉测量技术，两个超冷原子云被非常精确地监测到。这允许将Eotvos参数的不确定性降低到至少2 x 10(-15)。本文报道了原子干涉仪A阶段任务研究的结果，包括主要有效载荷元素的描述、原子源的概念和系统误差源。
The theory of general relativity describes macroscopic phenomena driven by the influence of gravity while quantum mechanics brilliantly accounts for microscopic effects. Despite their tremendous individual success, a complete unification of fundamental interactions is missing and remains one of the most challenging and important quests in modern theoretical physics. The spacetime explorer and quantum equivalence principle space test satellite mission, proposed as a medium-size mission within the Cosmic Vision program of the European Space Agency (ESA), aims for testing general relativity with high precision in two experiments by performing a measurement of the gravitational redshift of the Sun and the Moon by comparing terrestrial clocks, and by performing a test of the universality of free fall of matter waves in the gravitational field of Earth comparing the trajectory of two Bose-Einstein condensates of Rb-85 and Rb-87. The two ultracold atom clouds are monitored very precisely thanks to techniques of atom interferometry. This allows to reach down to an uncertainty in the Eotvos parameter of at least 2 x 10(-15). In this paper, we report about the results of the phase A mission study of the atom interferometer instrument covering the description of the main payload elements, the atomic source concept, and the systematic error sources.