Search for Gravitational Strength Forces Below 1 cm

搜索 1 厘米以下的重力强度

• 批准号: 0071029
• 负责人: John Price
• 金额: $ 54万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-08-01 至 2004-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0071029&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Search; Gravitational; Strength; Forces; Below

Experiments will be conducted to test Newtons law of gravitation atinter-mass separations of less than one centimeter. For separationsbetween one centimeter and one tenth of a millimeter, the experimentswill be sensitive enough to detect gravity and to test for deviationsfrom Newtons inverse-square law. For smaller separations theexperiments could detect proposed new short-range forces stronger thangravity but still many orders of magnitude weaker than other knownforces. The investigators will first complete on-going experiments withan existing room temperature apparatus, and then construct a newcryogenic instrument with greater sensitivity. A planar tungstentorsional oscillator is used as the sensitive force detector. There iscurrently intense interest among theoretical physicists in thepossibility that there may exist new feeble forces at length scalesbelow one centimeter. String theory, which seeks to encompass allknown physics including gravitation, generally predicts light fieldscalled moduli. When these acquire mass through certain mechanisms,they may mediate forces with a range of about one millimeter.Detecting such forces would provide dramatic evidence for stringtheory.Theorists have also proposed that there may exist several new compactspatial dimensions beyond the usual three, and that gravity is weakbecause it is able to spread out in the extra dimensions. When thenumber of extra dimensions is two, this view leads to large deviationsfrom Newtons law of gravitation at about one millimeter. Experimentalevidence of the predicted deviations would be a dramatic step forwardfor our understanding of fundamental physics.

在质量间隔小于1厘米的情况下，将进行实验来检验牛顿万有引力定律。对于一厘米到十分之一毫米之间的距离，实验将足够灵敏，可以探测重力，并测试与牛顿平方反比定律的偏差。对于更小的距离，实验可以探测到比重力更强的新短程力，但仍然比其他已知力弱很多个数量级。研究人员将首先在现有的室温仪器上完成正在进行的实验，然后建造一个灵敏度更高的新型低温仪器。采用平面钨振子作为灵敏力检测器。目前，理论物理学家对在一厘米以下的长度尺度上可能存在新的微弱力的可能性产生了浓厚的兴趣。弦理论试图涵盖所有已知的物理，包括万有引力，通常预测光场称为模。当它们通过某种机制获得质量时，它们可以调节大约一毫米范围内的力。探测到这种力将为弦理论提供有力的证据。理论学家还提出，在通常的三个空间维度之外，可能存在几个新的紧致空间维度，而且引力很弱，因为它能够在额外的维度中扩散。当额外维度的数量是2时，这种观点会导致与牛顿万有引力定律的巨大偏差，偏差约为1毫米。预测偏差的实验证据将是我们对基础物理学理解的一个戏剧性的进步。