Related papers: Constraining symmetron dark energy using atom inte…
Recently, a supersymmetric model of dark energy coupled to cold dark matter, the supersymmetron, has been proposed. In the absence of cold dark matter, the supersymmetron field converges to a supersymmetric minimum with a vanishing…
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…
Screened scalar fields such as the symmetron provide a viable description of dark energy yet their laboratory detection remains challenging. We propose an optomechanical scheme to constrain symmetron interactions using two optically…
Screening mechanisms are often deployed by dark energy models in order to conceal the effects of their new degrees of freedom from the scrutiny of terrestrial and solar system experiments. However, extreme properties of nuclear matter may…
In general, modified gravity theories are modifications or extensions of Einstein's general relativity. Some of them give rise to additional scalar degrees of freedom in Nature. If these scalar fields exist and are light enough, they should…
The majority of astronomers and physicists accept the reality of dark energy but also believe it can only be studied indirectly through observation of the motions of galaxies. This paper opens the experimental question of whether it is…
The physical origin of the dark energy that causes the accelerated expansion rate of the universe is one of the major open questions of cosmology. One set of theories postulates the existence of a self-interacting scalar field for dark…
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…
Atom interferometers provide a powerful means of realizing quantum coherent systems with increasingly macroscopic extent in space and time. These systems provide an opportunity for a variety of novel tests of fundamental physics, including…
Scalar fields, strongly coupled to matter, can be present in nature and still be invisible to local experiments if they are subject to a screening mechanism. The symmetron is one such mechanism which relies on restoration of a spontaneously…
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…
The evidence for the observation of the Higgs spin-0-boson as a manifestation of a scalar field provides the missing corner stone for the standard model of particles (SM). However, the SM fails to explain the non-visible but gravitationally…
We consider a supersymmetric model of dark energy coupled to cold dark matter: the supersymmetron. In the absence of cold dark matter, the supersymmetron converges to a supersymmetric minimum with a vanishing cosmological constant. When…
Theories of modified gravity where light scalars with non-trivial self-interactions and non-minimal couplings to matter-chameleon and symmetron theories-dynamically suppress deviations from general relativity in the solar system. On other…
We investigate the environment dependence of dark matter halos in the symmetron modified gravity scenario. The symmetron is one of three known mechanisms for screening a fifth-force and thereby recovering General Relativity in dense…
Spectroscopic methods allow to measure energy differences with unrivaled precision. In the case of gravity resonance spectroscopy, energy differences of different gravitational states are measured without recourse to the electromagnetic…
This work provides the first comparison of the symmetron and dilaton fields in white dwarfs. We show how these screening mechanisms behave inside {such stars} and their impact on stellar properties. Employing a custom-developed shooting…
Nonlinear scalar-tensor theories of gravity have been considered as candidates for dark matter and dark energy. Often, they possess screening mechanisms, which allow the fifth force mediated by the additional scalar degree(s) of freedom to…
The DESIRE project aims to test chameleon field theories as potential candidates for dark energy. The chameleon field is a light scalar field that is subject to screening mechanisms in dense environments making them hardly detectable. The…
We study how coherent scattering of a background gas off an atom (or other matter) interferometer can lead to enhanced signals from phase shifts and contrast loss. We focus on the inclusion of realistic features of atom interferometers such…