Astrometric test of the weak equivalence principle

Metric fluctuations and the Weak Equivalence Principle

We describe space–time fluctuations by means of small fluctuations of the metric on a given background metric. From a minimally coupled Klein–Gordon equation we obtain within a weakfield approximation up to second order and an averaging procedure over a finite space–time scale given by the quantum particle in the non–relativistic limit a modified Schrödinger equation. The dominant modification ...

The Solar Test of the Equivalence Principle

The Earth, Mars, Sun, Jupiter system allows for a sensitive test of the strong equivalence principle (SEP) which is qualitatively different from that provided by Lunar Laser Ranging. Using analytic and numerical methods we demonstrate that Earth-Mars ranging can provide a useful estimate of the SEP parameter η. Two estimates of the predicted accuracy are derived and quoted, one based on convent...

An experimental test of the weak equivalence principle for antihydrogen at the future FLAIR facility

We present new experimental ideas to investigate the gravitational interaction of antihydrogen. The experiment can first be performed in an off-line mirror measurement on hydrogen atoms, as a testing ground for our methods, before the implementation with antihydrogen atoms. A beam of hydrogen atoms is formed by launching a cold beam of protons through a cloud of trapped electrons in a nested Pe...

Dark-Matter-Induced Weak Equivalence Principle Violation

Eötvös Test of the Weak Equivalence Principle for Zero - point Vacuum Energy

An Eötvös experiment to test the weak equivalence principle (WEP) for zero-point vacuum energy is proposed using a satellite. Following the suggestion of Ross for a terrestrial experiment of this type, the acceleration of a spherical test mass of aluminum would be compared with that of a similar test mass made from another material. The estimated ratio of the zero-point vacuum energy density in...