Proposed new determination of the gravitational constant G and tests of Newtonian gravitation

Details Proposed new determination of the gravitational constant G and tests of Newtonian gravitation Proposed new determination of the gravitational constant G and tests of Newtonian gravitation

Jul 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992phrvd..46..489s&link_type=abstract

Physical Review D (Particles, Fields, Gravitation, and Cosmology), Volume 46, Issue 2, 15 July 1992, pp.489-504

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29

Other Topics In General Relativity And Gravitation, Determination Of Fundamental Constants

Scientific paper

The first ``constant of nature'' to be identified, Newton's constant of universal gravitation G, is presently the least accurately known. The currently accepted value (6.672 59+/-0.000 85)×10-11 m3 kg-1 s-2 has an uncertainty of 128 parts per million (ppm), whereas most other fundamental constants are known to less than 1 ppm. Moreover, the inverse-square law and the equivalence principle are not well validated at distances of the order of meters. We propose measurements within an orbiting satellite which would improve the accuracy of G by two orders of magnitude and also place new upper limits on the field-strength parameter α of any Yukawa-type force, assuming a null result. Preliminary analysis indicates that a test of the time variation of G may also be possible. Our proposed tests would place new limits on α=α5(q5/μ)1(q5/μ)2 for characteristic lengths Λ between 30 cm and 30 m and for Λ>1000 km. In terms of the mass mb of a vector boson presumed to mediate such a Yukawa-type force, the proposed experiment would place new limits on α for 7×10-9 eV5 m (mbc2<4×10-8 eV), while the longer-distance interaction would test the equivalence principle to 4 parts in 1013 for Λ>REarth (mbc2<3×10-14 eV). Specifically, we propose to observe the motion of a small mass during the encounter phase of a ``horseshoe'' orbit-that is, in the vicinity of its closest approach to a large mass in a nearly identical orbit. The essential aspect of the interaction of the two bodies during the encounter is an exchange of energy, and we call the proposed method the ``satellite energy exchange'' (SEE) method. Successful application of the SEE method to gravity measurements will depend on the particular experimental design, including the configurations of the test bodies, the characteristics of the systems for maneuvering the test bodies and the satellite, and the choice of orbital parameters, which are described below. We are not aware of any existing or proposed method which approaches the accuracy of the SEE method.

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