Several recent theories suggest that light moduli or particles in "large" extra dimensions could mediate macroscopic forces exceeding gravitational strength at length scales below a millimeter. Such new forces can be parameterized as a Yukawa-type correction to the Newtonian potential of strength α relative to gravity and range λ. To extend the search for such new physics we have improved our apparatus utilizing cryogenic micro-cantilevers capable of measuring attonewton forces, which now includes a switchable magnetic force for calibration. Our most recent experimental constraints on Yukawa-type deviations from Newtonian gravity are more than three times as stringent as our previously published results, and represent the best bound in the range of 5 - 15 microns, with a 95 percent confidence exclusion of forces with ∣α∣>14,000 at λ = 10 microns.
@article{arxiv.0802.2350,
title = {Improved constraints on non-Newtonian forces at 10 microns},
author = {Andrew A. Geraci and Sylvia J. Smullin and David M. Weld and John Chiaverini and Aharon Kapitulnik},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0802.2350},
year = {2008}
}
Comments
12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in PRD. Minor changes, replaced and corrected Figs 4,5,8