Non-Newtonian Forces

对引力理论的实验检验预计将在限制我们对空间、时间和物质基本性质的理解的可能扩展方面发挥越来越重要的作用。 在过去的几十年里，许多实验都在寻找违反牛顿和爱因斯坦引力互补公式的现象。 在它们各自的应用领域中，还没有发现与这两种效应有显著的偏差，但理论文献中有大量的微妙效应，这些效应可能通过更灵敏的实验来检测。为了迎接这一挑战，人们设计和建造了专门的仪器，以前所未有的灵敏度来寻找这些新物理学的微弱线索。 该项目的方法利用新技术减少系统测量误差，并使用低温方法提高测量精度。 已经建立了一个新的实验室设施，以提供一个超低振动的环境，使这种敏感的测量在一个否则嘈杂的世界。在这个新的实验室里，一个使用这种新仪器的引力实验计划现在已经准备好开始了。 这项研究活动涉及年轻的科学家，博士后，研究生和本科生学习精密测量的艺术和发展物理科学的职业生涯。 公司合作伙伴波音飞机公司，实验室设施主机太平洋西北国家实验室，家庭机构华盛顿大学，沿着NSF，都加入了努力扩大教育推广的基础上，这一研究计划尽可能广泛。

Experimental tests of theories of gravity are expected to play an increasingly important role in constraining possible extensions of our understanding of the fundamental nature of space, time and matter. Over the past few decades a number of experiments have searched for violations of Newton's and Einstein's complementary formulations of gravitation. Significant deviations from either have yet to be found in their respective realms of application, but the theoretical literature abounds with subtle effects that might be detected with more sensitive experiments.To meet this challenge, specialized instrumentation has been designed and constructed to search with unprecedented sensitivity for some of these faint clues to new physics. This project's approach exploits new techniques for the reduction of systematic measurement errors and improved measurement precision using cryogenic methods. A new laboratory facility has been established to provide an ultra-low-vibration environment to make possible such sensitive measurements in an otherwise noisy world. A program of gravitation experiments using this new apparatus in this new lab is now ready to begin. This research activity involves young scientists, post-docs, graduate and undergraduate students learning the art of precision measurements and developing careers in physical science. The corporate partner Boeing Airplane Company, the laboratory facility host Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the home institution the University of Washington, along with NSF, all join in an effort to extend educational outreach based on this research program as broadly as possible.