Significance of Composition-Dependent Effects in Fifth-Force Searches

Abstract

Indications of a possible composition-dependent fifth force, based on a reanalysis of the Eötvös experiment, have not been supported by a number of modern experiments. Here, we argue that searching for a composition-dependent fifth force necessarily requires data from experiments in which the acceleration differences of three or more independent pairs of test samples of varying composition are determined. We suggest that a new round of fifth-force experiments is called for, in each of which three or more different pairs of samples are compared.

7 pages, 3 figures, minor changes and corrections to match published version

References in corpus (6)

• Atom-interferometric test of the equivalence principle at the $10^{-12}$ level
• Equivalence Principle Violations and Couplings of a Light Dilaton
• Precision Gravity Tests and the Einstein Equivalence Principle
• Space test of the Equivalence Principle: first results of the MICROSCOPE mission
• MICROSCOPE's constraint on a short-range fifth force
• Generalized Analysis of the Eötvös Experiment

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Indications of a Fifth Force Coupling to Baryon Number in the Potter Test of the Weak Equivalence Principle