Measurement of ultra-low gravity. Free Technical Library News

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Ultra Low Gravity Measurement

19.03.2021

Precise experiments made it possible to measure the attraction between objects with a mass of only 0,09 grams and showed that Newton's law also applies at this level.

It has been known since the time of Isaac Newton that the force of gravitational attraction between a pair of objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The general theory of relativity, which appeared at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, which considers gravity as geometric deformations of space-time, more accurately describes the behavior of massive topics on astronomical scales. But how gravity behaves on the opposite side of the scale, at the level of elementary particles, is unknown.

Even tests of Newtonian formulas are carried out, as a rule, with objects with a mass of the order of kilograms and grams: their gravity is so small that it is extremely difficult to measure it. Recently, however, the team of Tobias Westphal of the Austrian Academy of Sciences managed to do this work for golden spheres weighing only 90 milligrams, registering a record low gravitational force.

The experiments are based on a scheme invented by Henry Cavendish, who measured the gravitational interactions between objects in his laboratory for the first time in this way. To do this, he fixed the test mass (lead ball) at the end of a wooden beam suspended by a thread, and balanced it with a second ball of the same kind. A second, more massive ball slowly approached the test load, the attraction of which caused the rocker to rotate slightly. By registering the twisting of the thread, it was possible to accurately estimate the amount of rotation and calculate the force of attraction between the masses.

Tobias Westphal and his colleagues conducted a similar experiment, in which gold spheres weighing only 90 milligrams, mounted on a miniature glass yoke and suspended from a very thin silicon thread, served as test weights. The deflection of the rocker arm was recorded by turning the mirror mounted on it, which was illuminated by a laser beam. And, of course, working at this level of accuracy, scientists had to perform experiments in deep vacuum and carefully shield electromagnetic fields using a Faraday cage.

Careful measurements have shown that Newton's formula continues to work on the scale of milligram masses. Calculating the gravitational constant (G) based on their measurements, scientists have shown that it is only nine percent different from the standard accepted value. But the main thing is that the authors have demonstrated that such measurements are possible in principle and allow registering ultra-small gravitational forces. Perhaps someday they will help to understand their work at the level of elementary particles.

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