A quick test of the WEP enabled by a sounding rocket

Abstract

We describe SR-POEM, a Galilean test of the weak equivalence principle, which is to be conducted during the free fall portion of a sounding rocket flight. This test of a single pair of substances is aimed at a measurement uncertainty of σ(η) < 10-16 after averaging the results of eight separate drops, each of 40 s duration. The weak equivalence principle measurement is made with a set of four laser gauges that are expected to achieve 0.1 pm/\sqrt{Hz}. We address the two sources of systematic error that are currently of greatest concern, magnetic force and electrostatic (patch effect) force on the test mass assemblies. The discovery of a violation (η\not= 0) would have profound implications for physics, astrophysics and cosmology.

10 pages, 2 figures, To be submitted to: Classical and Quantum Gravity

References in corpus (5)

• Test of the Equivalence Principle Using a Rotating Torsion Balance
• LISA technology and instrumentation
• Temporal Extent of Surface Potentials between Closely Spaced Metals
• The Science Case for STEP
• A weak equivalence principle test on a suborbital rocket

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Equivalence Principle and Bound Kinetic Energy
• Modeling electrostatic patch effects in Casimir force measurements
• Kelvin probe force microscopy of metallic surfaces used in Casimir force measurements
• Design and characteristics of a WEP test in a sounding-rocket payload
• Electrostatic patch effects in Casimir force experiments performed in the sphere-plane geometry
• Studying Antimatter Gravity with Muonium
• Casimir Effect : Theory and Experiments