Physics – Quantum Physics
Scientific paper
Jan 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002iaf..confe.511l&link_type=abstract
IAF abstracts, 34th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, The Second World Space Congress, held 10-19 October, 2002 in Houston, TX, USA.,
Physics
Quantum Physics
Scientific paper
Relativity and quantum physics provide the framework for contemporary physics in which the relations between matter, space and time have been radically rethought during the past century. Physicists however cannot be satisfied with these two distinct theories and they are seeking to unify them and thereby quantify the gravitational field. The key of this research lies in the highly precise study of the gravitational laws. Space environment, allowing large distance experiments and isolation from terrestrial noise, is the ideal place for carrying out very precise experiments on gravitation and is highly suitable for seeking new interactions that could show up in low-energy conditions. Since 1993 when the scientific community gave its first recommandations, CNES has been working out with french research laboratories on a variety of advanced technical instrumentations needed to fulfill such space experiments, especially in the fields of electrostatic microaccelerometers, cold atom clocks and cold atom inertial sensors, optical datation, optical interferometry and drag-free control. A number of Fundamental Physics projects are now under progress, in the frame of the national programme and the participation to the ESA programme, such as : -the MICROSCOPE microsatellite project aimed at testing the Equivalence Principle between inertial mass and gravitational mass at a high level of precision, which is the fourth CNES scientific project based on the MYRIADE microsatellite series, -the PHARAO cold-atom clock which is the heart of the ACES (Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space) european project located on an external pallett of the International Space Station, together with a swiss H- MASER and a micro-wave link making comparison with ground clocks, aimed at relativistic tests and measurement of universal constants, -the T2L2 optical link allowing to compare ultra-stable and ultra-precise clocks, -contribution to the AMS spectrometer aimed at the search for cosmic antimatter, on the external part of the International Space Station, -participation in the LISA corner-stone mission of ESA for direct detection and measurement of gravitational waves by interferometry and proposal for the SMART-2 demonstrator, -participation in the HYPER assessment study, concerning High Precision Cold Atom Interferometry in Space, on a dedicated satellite, submitted to ESA as a flexible mission. Let's hope that the turn of this century will be favourable to the achievement of Fundamental Physics studies in new experimental conditions provided by Space which will give highly precised measurements and allow to test theoretical predictions. Development of such cutting-edge technology will also have significant impact on other disciplines such as astronomy, time and frequency metrology, gravimetry...
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