Session L6: Tests of General Relativity and Gravitation
3:30 PM–5:18 PM, Sunday, April 1, 2012
Room: Embassy C
Sponsoring Unit:
GGR
Chair: Nicholas Yunes, Montana State University
Abstract ID: BAPS.2012.APR.L6.6
Abstract: L6.00006 : Experimental search for violations of Newtonian gravity at short ranges
4:54 PM–5:06 PM
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Abstract 
Authors:
Josh Long
(Department of Physics, Indiana University Bloomington)
Simon Kelly
(Department of Physics, Indiana University Bloomington)
Evan Weisman
(Department of Physics, Indiana University Bloomington)
Trevor Leslie
(Department of Physics, Indiana University Bloomington)
Andrew Peckat
(Department of Physics, Indiana University Bloomington)
We report on our ongoing experimental search for deviations from the Newtonian gravitational inverse-square law at short ranges (50 microns). This experiment permits us to place constraints on theories predicting new forces at sub-millimeter range, including models with compact extra dimensions and gravitationally-coupled scalar fields. The experiment is performed by measuring the force between a planar source mass oscillating at a frequency (1 kHz) tuned to one of the mode frequencies of a planar detector mass. Electrostatic and acoustic background forces are mitigated by separating the source and detector masses with a conducting, 10 micron-thick Copper-Beryllium membrane stiffened by stretching, while the Newtonian background is minimized with the nominally null planar test mass geometry. We search for a signal above the limiting detector thermal noise after integration times on the order of 1 day.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2012.APR.L6.6