Berlin 2005 – scientific programme

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GR: Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 15: Experimentelle Tests

GR 15.2: Talk

Tuesday, March 8, 2005, 14:15–14:30, TU BH262

Are the active and passive electric charges equal? — •Claus Lämmerzahl¹, Alfredo Macias², and Holger Müller³ — ¹ZARM, Univ. Bremen, Am Fallturm, 28359 Bremen, Germany — ²Physics Dpt., UAM-I, Mexico D.F., Mexico — ³Physics Dpt., Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA 94305-4060, USA

While the question of a hypothetical difference of the active and passive gravitational mass has been analyzed theoretically and tested by laboratory experiments and confronted with astrophysical observations, nothing similar seems to exist for the electric analogue. Though there is no experimental result which is in disagreement with the current Maxwell theory which always tacitly assumes the equality of active and passive charges, we discuss here theoretical and experimental consequences of a hypothetical difference between the active and passive electric charge. As in gravity, a self–acceleration of the center–of–mass of a bound system is a consequence of a difference between active and passive charges. However, this of no use for an experimental search since because of the short timescale of atomic phenomena this effect immediately cancels out. Therefore other schemes than those invented for the gravitational domain has to be looked for. Here we describe a scheme which uses the difference of ”active” and ”passive” neutrality and current high precision tests of the neutrality of atoms and molecules. Also other schemes are discussed.