Revealing short-range non-Newtonian gravity through Casimir-Polder shielding

Abstract

We carry out a realistic, yet simple, calculation of the Casimir-Polder interaction in the presence of a metallic shield in order to aid the design of experiments to test non-Newtonian gravity. In particular, we consider a rubidium atom near a movable silicon slab with a gold film in between. We show that by moving the slab to various distances and making precise measurements of the force exerted on the atom, one could in principle discern the existence of short-range modifications to Newtonian gravity. This avoids the need for a patterned surface where calculations are much harder and for which the probe must be moved laterally at a fixed distance. We also briefly discuss the case where an atomic cloud undergoes Bloch oscillations within an optical lattice created by reflecting a laser off the shield. We find that our scheme has the potential to improve current constraints if relatively modest improvements in atom localisation in optical lattices are made.

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Testing gravity with cold atom interferometry: Results and prospects
• Constraints on non-Newtonian gravity and axionlike particles from measuring the Casimir force in nanometer separation range
• The State of the Art in Constraining Axion-to-Nucleon Coupling and Non-Newtonian Gravity from Laboratory Experiments
• Zero Casimir Force in Axion Electrodynamics and the Search for a New Force
• Testing Gravity and Predictions Beyond the Standard Model at Short Distances: The Casimir Effect
• How to strengthen constraints on non-Newtonian gravity from measuring the lateral Casimir force