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Renewal of Support for Short-range Tests of Gravity at Humboldt State University

洪堡州立大学继续支持短期重力测试

基本信息

批准号：
1306783
负责人：
Charles Hoyle
金额：
$ 15.57万
依托单位：
Humboldt State University Foundation
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2013
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2013-08-01 至 2017-07-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1306783&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Renewal Support Short range Tests

项目摘要

This award supports research in the Humboldt State University Gravitational Physics Laboratory (HSU GPL). Precision experiments will test the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) of General Relativity and the gravitational Inverse-Square Law (ISL) at unprecedented levels. The WEP will be tested at the millimeter scale and the ISL will be probed over sub-millimeter distances with unmatched sensitivity down to approximately 25 microns. In recent years the study of the gravitational interaction at short (sub-millimeter) distance scales has gained much attention due in a large part to unification scenarios arising in string or M-theory that require more than three spatial dimensions, some of which could be macroscopic. Short-range tests of gravity and the WEP also investigate possible proposed mechanisms that endeavor to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe, generally attributed to Dark Energy. Finally, such tests present the possibility to search for hypothetical new interactions due to exotic particles or other phenomena. Many scenarios concerning these effects predict a violation of the WEP or ISL at short distances. Since 1999, experimental limits have improved dramatically so that the ISL has proven valid over distances down to approximately 55 microns. A dedicated test of the WEP, however, has not been performed below the millimeter scale. The initial work described in this proposal will probe the WEP at the millimeter scale and below. This measurement will be accomplished with a parallel-plate torsion pendulum design that will provide an essentially null experiment and use multiple composition dipole combinations. Subsequently, a more difficult test of the gravitational ISL will be pursued by decreasing the pendulum/attractor mass separation to 100 microns. Humboldt State University is in a predominantly rural area of Northern California and the GPL is the only dedicated physics research laboratory in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. This award ensures that our undergraduates gain valuable research skills necessary for continuation of studies or pursuit of a career in industry. Undergraduates will also be sent to perform research at the University of Washington through a collaboration formed with a gravity research group there. Alumni of the laboratory have secured graduate fellowships and industrial positions. This award greatly contributes to the valuable expansion of research at HSU in the STEM fields.Within the major program, software developed for data acquisition and analysis will be transferable to educational opportunities in the upper division classroom. This award also allows undergraduates to participate in valuable dissemination efforts through presentations at national and regional conferences as well as publication of research results. Finally, tests of gravity are of great interest to research in diverse fields ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to particle physics and precision measurement science.

该奖项支持洪堡州立大学引力物理实验室（HSU GPL）的研究。精密实验将以前所未有的水平测试广义相对论的弱等效原理（WEP）和引力平方反比定律（ISL）。WEP将在毫米尺度上进行测试，ISL将在亚毫米距离上进行探测，其灵敏度高达约25微米。近年来，在短（亚毫米）距离尺度上的引力相互作用的研究得到了很大的关注，这在很大程度上是由于弦或M理论中出现的统一场景，这些场景需要超过三个空间维度，其中一些可能是宏观的。短程引力测试和WEP也研究了可能的机制，奋进解释宇宙的加速膨胀，通常归因于暗能量。最后，这种测试提供了寻找由于外来粒子或其他现象而产生的假设的新相互作用的可能性。关于这些影响的许多场景预测在短距离内违反WEP或ISL。自1999年以来，实验极限已大大提高，因此ISL已被证明在低至约55微米的距离内有效。然而，WEP的专门测试尚未在毫米级以下进行。本提案中描述的初步工作将在毫米级及以下探测WEP。该测量将通过平行板扭摆设计来完成，该设计将提供基本上为零的实验并使用多个组成偶极组合。随后，将通过将摆/吸引子质量分离减小到100微米来进行重力ISL的更困难的测试。洪堡州立大学位于加州北方的一个主要农村地区，GPL是物理和天文学系唯一的专用物理研究实验室。该奖项确保我们的本科生获得继续学习或追求行业职业所需的宝贵研究技能。本科生也将被派往华盛顿大学进行研究，通过与那里的重力研究小组合作。该实验室的校友获得了研究生奖学金和工业职位。该奖项极大地促进了HSU在STEM领域的研究的有价值的扩展。在主要计划中，为数据采集和分析开发的软件将被转移到上师课堂的教育机会。该奖项还允许本科生通过在国家和区域会议上的演讲以及研究成果的出版来参与有价值的传播工作。最后，重力测试对从天体物理学和宇宙学到粒子物理学和精密测量科学的各个领域的研究都有很大的意义。