Precision experimental tests of Newtonian gravity at the submicron scale

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The effect of corrections on the Newtonian gravitational potential will be addressed in this project. The research will be focused on corrections relevant at the 100 nanometer (nm) range. It is expected that an improvement of four orders of magnitude will be achieved over current limits on the existence of extra dimensions and hypothetical forces. The work will be performed in an innovative experimental configuration, where the effect of vacuum fluctuations, i.e. the Casimir interaction, will be minimized. However, the Casimir forces between two bodies separated by a distance of approximately 100 nm will be characterized to an unprecedented level, including its measurement at low temperatures, down to 4 K. The success of the project will depend crucially on the design of very sensitive microelectromechanical systems, which will be developed in collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent.The project tackles a fundamental problem and will enhance our understanding of the fundamental interactions between particles at the sub-micrometer level. Undergraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral students will be trained in the methodology and approach for measuring minute forces. At the same time, technologically relevant data will be obtained through a better understanding of the Casimir interaction, an unavoidable force that is dominant at small separations and causes stiction in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. Existing collaborations between Universities (IUPUI, Purdue and Wabash) and industry (Alcatel-Lucent) will be strengthen through this work.