RUI: Measuring Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Gravity on an Intermediate Distance Scale (Physics)

将启动对牛顿引力常数G的直接测量，测量范围比以前大得多。所使用的方法是精确测量大型蓄水池附近两个位置的局部重力加速度g的变化。对拟建场地(密西西比州卢丁顿的卢丁顿抽水蓄能设施)和拟建仪器(日本国际地震局研制的便携式绝对重力仪)的详细研究表明，在10-100米的距离尺度上测量G至0.1%的精度是可行的。这一结果将直接对提议的“中程力量”敏感，并可能证实或否定一些已发表的关于其强度和射程的说法。这个项目将让本科生参与实验室计算和实地测量，该学科领域既是他们所理解的，也是物理界立即感兴趣的。

A direct measurement will be initiated for the Newtonian constant of gravitation, G, on a much larger distance scale than previously achieved. The method to be used is a precise measurement of changes in the local acceleration of gravity, g, at two locations in the vicinity of a large hydroelectric storage pond. A detailed study of the proposed site (the Ludington Pumped Storage Facility in Ludington, MI) and the proposed instrumentation (the portable absolute gravimeters developed at JILA) has shown that a measurement of G to a precision of 0.1%, on a distance scale of 10-100 m, is feasible. The result would be directly sensitive to a proposed "intermediate range force", and could confirm or negate some published claims for its strength and range. This project will involve undergraduate students in laboratory calculations and field measurements in a subject area which is both accessible to their understanding and of immediate interest to the physics community.