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Einstein's Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP), the universality of free fall, is a fundamental component of general relativity and other metric theories of gravity. Its validity can be tested through the post-Newtonian parameter gamma, which…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2026-04-21 Tian-Cong Wang , Aleksandra Piorkowska - Kurpas , Marek Biesiada , He Gao

Current constraints on Einstein's weak equivalence principle (WEP) utilize the observed time delay between correlated particles of astronomical sources. However, the intrinsic time delay due to particle emission time is impossible to…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2018-09-26 H. Yu , F. Y. Wang

We address the question whether quantum probes in a gravitational field can be considered as test particles obeying the weak equivalence principle (WEP). A formulation of the WEP is proposed which applies also in the quantum regime, while…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2017-05-18 Luigi Seveso , Matteo G. A. Paris

We propose tests of the weak equivalence principle (WEP) using a torsion balance, in which superposition of energy eigenstates are created in a controllable way for the test masses. After general considerations on the significance of tests…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-12-09 Roberto Onofrio , Alexander R. H. Smith , Lorenza Viola

The Weak Equivalence Principle is the founding pillar of General Relativity and as such it should be verified as precisely as possible. The Microscope experiment tested it in low Earth orbit, finding that Pt and Ti test masses fall toward…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2025-01-15 Anna M. Nobili , Alberto Anselmi

The Einstein Equivalence Principle (EEP) has a central role in the understanding of gravity and space-time. In its weak form, or Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP), it directly implies equivalence between inertial and gravitational mass.…

Atomic Physics · Physics 2017-06-15 G. Rosi , G. D'Amico , L. Cacciapuoti , F. Sorrentino , M. Prevedelli , M. Zych , C. Brukner , G. M. Tino

Einstein's weak equivalence principle (WEP) states that any freely falling, uncharged test particle follows the same identical trajectory independent of its internal structure and composition. Since the polarization of a photon is…

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena · Physics 2017-05-05 Xue-Feng Wu , Jun-Jie Wei , Mi-Xiang Lan , He Gao , Zi-Gao Dai , Peter Mészáros

The MICROSCOPE space mission aims at testing the Equivalence Principle (EP) with an accuracy of $10^{-15}$. The test is based on the precise measurement delivered by a differential electrostatic accelerometer on-board a drag-free…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2017-07-26 Emilie Hardy , Agnès Levy , Gilles Métris , Manuel Rodrigues , Pierre Touboul

MICROSCOPE's space test of the weak equivalence principle (WEP) is based on the minute measurement of the difference of accelerations experienced by two test masses as they orbit the Earth. A detection of a violation of the WEP would appear…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2020-12-23 Joel Bergé , Quentin Baghi , Alain Robert , Manuel Rodrigues , Bernard Foulon , Emilie Hardy , Gilles Métris , Sandrine Pires , Pierre Touboul

Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity, has passed stringent tests in laboratories, elsewhere in the Solar Sytem, and in pulsar binaries. Nevertheless it is known to be incompatible with quantum mechanics and must differ from the…

In this paper, we review tests of the strong equivalence principle (SEP) derived from pulsar-white dwarf data. The extreme difference in binding energy between both components and the precise measurement of the orbital motion provided by…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2015-06-05 Paulo C. C. Freire , Michael Kramer , Norbert Wex

In this paper we examine the possibility of testing the equivalence principle, in its weak form, by analyzing the orbital motion of a pair of artificial satellites of different composition moving along orbits of identical shape and size in…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2007-06-14 Lorenzo Iorio

The violation of the weak equivalence principle (EP) in the gravitational field of the Earth, described by the E\"otv\"os parameter $\eta_\oplus$, was recently constrained to the level $\left|\eta_\oplus\right| \lesssim 10^{-14}$ by the…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2018-06-15 Lijing Shao , Norbert Wex , Michael Kramer

A primary objective of the Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) experiment is to provide precise observations of the lunar orbit that contribute to a wide range of science investigations. Time series of the highly accurate measurements of the distance…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2009-07-24 James G. Williams , Slava G. Turyshev , Dale H. Boggs

The gravitational strong equivalence principle (SEP) is a cornerstone of the general theory of relativity (GR). The extreme difference in binding energy between neutron stars and white dwarfs allows for precision tests of the SEP via the…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2020-07-01 Guillaume Voisin , Ismaël Cognard , Paulo Freire , Norbert Wex , Lucas Guillemot , Grégory Desvignes , Michael Kramer , Gilles Theureau

STEP (the Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle) will advance experimental limits on violations of Einstein's equivalence principle (EP) from their present sensitivity of 2 parts in 10^13 to 1 part in 10^18 through multiple comparison…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2014-01-21 James Overduin , Francis Everitt , John Mester , Paul Worden

The MICROSCOPE mission aimed to test the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) to a precision of $10^{-15}$. The WEP states that two bodies fall at the same rate on a gravitational field independently of their mass or composition. In MICROSCOPE,…

The Earth, Mars, Sun, Jupiter system allows for a sensitive test of the strong equivalence principle (SEP) which is qualitatively different from that provided by Lunar Laser Ranging. Using analytic and numerical methods we demonstrate that…

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology · Physics 2008-11-26 John D. Anderson , Mark Gross , Kenneth L. Nordtvedt , Slava G. Turyshev

While the (weak) Equivalence Principle (EP) has been rigorously tested within the solar system, its validity on cosmological scales, particularly in the context of dark matter and dark energy, remains uncertain. In this study, we propose a…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2025-11-06 Guoyuan Lu , Yi Zheng , Le Zhang , Xiaodong Li , Jiacheng Ding , Kwan Chuen Chan

Symmetries play an important role in modern theories of gravity. The strong equivalence principle (SEP) constitutes a collection of gravitational symmetries which are all implemented by general relativity. Alternative theories, however, are…