Related papers: Force sensor for chameleon and Casimir force exper…
We have calculated the chameleon pressure between two parallel plates in the presence of an intervening medium that affects the mass of the chameleon field. As intuitively expected, the gas in the gap weakens the chameleon interaction…
The best laboratory constraints on strongly coupled chameleon fields come not from tests of gravity per se but from precision measurements of the Casimir force. The chameleonic force between two nearby bodies is more akin to a Casimir-like…
During the past few decades, abundant evidence for physics beyond the two standard models of particle physics and cosmology was found. Yet, we are tapping into the dark regarding our understanding of the dark sector. For more than a…
Light scalar fields coupled to matter are a common consequence of theories of dark energy and attempts to solve the cosmological constant problem. The chameleon screening mechanism is commonly invoked in order to suppress the fifth forces…
The Casimir And Non-Newtonian force EXperiment (CANNEX) implements the unique geometry of macroscopic plane parallel plates that guarantees an optimum sensitivity with respect to interfacial forces and their gradients. Based on experience…
We present a cursory overview of chameleon models of dark energy and their laboratory tests with an emphasis on optical and Casimir experiments. Optical experiments measuring the ellipticity of an initially polarised laser beam are…
Light scalar fields can drive the accelerated expansion of the universe. Hence, they are obvious dark energy candidates. To make such models compatible with tests of General Relativity in the solar system and "fifth force" searches on…
The nature of dark energy is one of the most outstanding problems in physical science, and various theories have been proposed. It is therefore essential to directly verify or rule out these theories experimentally. However, despite…
A light scalar field framework of dark energy, sometimes referred to as quintessence, introduces a fifth force between normal matter objects. Screening mechanisms, such as the chameleon model, allow the scalar field to be almost massless on…
Atom interferometry experiments are searching for evidence of chameleon scalar fields with ever-increasing precision. As experiments become more precise, so too must theoretical predictions. Previous work has made numerous approximations to…
We tested a fifth force using cold atom experiments. The accelerated expansion of the universe implies the possibility of the presence of a scalar field throughout the universe driving the acceleration. This field would result in a…
Casimir forces are of fundamental interest because they originate from quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. Apart from controlling the Casimir force via the optical properties of the materials, a number of novel geometries…
We discuss a proposal to measure the Casimir force in the parallel plate configuration in the $1-10\mu$m range via a high-sensitivity torsional balance. This will allow to measure the thermal contribution to the Casimir force therefore…
The KWISP opto-mechanical force sensor has been built and calibrated in the INFN Trieste optics laboratory and is now under off-beam commissioning at CAST. It is designed to detect the pressure exerted by a flux of solar Chameleons on a…
We report on the measurement of the Casimir force between conducting surfaces in a parallel configuration. The force is exerted between a silicon cantilever coated with chromium and a similar rigid surface and is detected looking at the…
We consider experiments on measuring the Casimir interaction which have been performed in the last four years. The emphasis is made on measuring differences in the Casimir pressures under a transition of the plate metal from normal to…
Chameleon fields, which are scalar field dark energy candidates, can evade fifth force constraints by becoming massive in high-density regions. However, this property allows chameleon particles to be trapped inside a vacuum chamber with…
Chameleons are a well motivated scalar field that might explain the observed late time accelerated expansion of the universe. Chameleons possess the interesting property that their mass, and hence interaction range, is dependent on the…
We report on a first measurement with a sensitive opto-mechanical force sensor designed for the direct detection of coupling of real chameleons to matter. These dark energy candidates could be produced in the Sun and stream unimpeded to…
We report development of a high-sensitivity torsion balance to measure the thermal Casimir force. Special emphasis is placed on experimental investigations of a possible surface electric force originating from surface patch potentials that…