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Measurement of mutual gravitation on laboratory scales is an outstanding challenge and a prerequisite to probing theories of quantum gravity. A leading technology in tabletop gravity experiments is the torsion balance, with limitations due…
We report on the design and sensitivity of a new torsion pendulum for measuring the performance of ultra-precise inertial sensors and for the development of associated technologies for space-based gravitational wave observatories and…
In this work, the force due to radiation pressure is measured with sub-10 pN sensitivity, corresponding to less than 2 mW of optical power. The apparatus adds homemade reflectors to a commercial Cavendish balance, which consists of a…
Since the advent of atomic force microscopy, mechanical resonators have been used to study a wide variety of phenomena, such as the dynamics of individual electron spins, persistent currents in normal metal rings, and the Casimir force. Key…
Precise measurements of the displacement of, and force acting on, a mechanical oscillator can be performed by coupling the oscillator to an optical cavity. Brownian thermal forces represent a fundamental limit to measurement sensitivity…
We describe the design and construction of a new apparatus for detecting or constraining deviations from Newtonian gravity at short length scales. The apparatus consists of a new type of probe with rotary mass actuation and cantilever-based…
Torque sensors such as the torsion balance enabled the first determination of the gravitational constant by Cavendish and the discovery of Coulomb's law. Torque sensors are also widely used in studying small-scale magnetism, the Casimir…
Silicon double paddle oscillators are well suited for the detection of weak forces because of their high Q factor (about 10^5 at room temperature). We describe an experiment aimed at the detection of gravitational forces between masses at…
Gravity is the weakest of all known forces. Measuring the force of gravity from micro and nano-scale source masses is an essential first step toward low-energy quantum gravity tests. In addition, measuring gravitational forces where the…
We report the performance of an instrument that employs a torsion balance for probing a non-standard force in the sub-micrometre range. High sensitivity is achieved by using a torsion balance that has a long torsional period, strong…
We explore a new class of chipscale torsion pendula formed by Si$_3$N$_4$ nanoribbon suspensions. Owing to their unique hierarchy of gravitational, tensile, and elastic stiffness, the devices exhibit damping rates of $\sim 10\;\mu$Hz and…
The torsion pendulum at the heart of the apparatus to measure the gravitational constant, $G$ at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) is used to measure the gravitational torque between source and test-mass assemblies with…
Oscillators based on levitated particles are promising for the development of ultrasensitive force detectors. The theoretical performance of levitated nanomechanical sensors is usually characterized by the so-called thermal noise limit…
This paper addresses a simple question: how small can one make a gravitational source mass and still detect its gravitational coupling to a nearby test mass? We describe an experimental scheme based on micromechanical sensing to observe…
We report an experimental test of non-Newtonian gravitational forces at mi- crometer range. To experimentally subtract off the Casimir force and the electrostatic force background, differential force measurements were performed by sensing…
Levitated optomechanics is showing potential for precise force measurements. Here, we report a case study, to show experimentally the capacity of such a force sensor. Using an electric field as a tool to detect a Coulomb force applied onto…
The Newtonian constant of gravitation $G$ historically has the largest relative uncertainty over all other fundamental constants with some discrepancies in values between different measurements. We propose a new scheme to measure $G$ by…
We measured Newton's gravitational constant G using a new torsion balance method. Our technique greatly reduces several sources of uncertainty compared to previous measurements: (1) it is insensitive to anelastic torsion fiber properties;…
Using weak values amplification angular resolution limits, we theoretically investigate the gravitational sensing of objects. By inserting a force-sensing pendulum into a weak values interferometer, the optical response can sense…
We obtain constraints on non-Newtonian gravity following from the improved precision measurement of the Casimir force by means of atomic force microscope. The hypothetical force is calculated in experimental configuration (a sphere above a…