Berlin 2014 – scientific programme

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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 21: Experimental Gravitation III

GR 21.3: Talk

Thursday, March 20, 2014, 15:25–15:45, SPA SR220

qBounce: Frequency's view on Newton's Law — •Gunther Cronenberg¹, Thomas Bittner¹, Hanno Filter¹, Peter Geltenbort², Tobias Jenke¹, Martin Thalhammer¹, and Hartmut Abele¹ — ¹Atominstitut, Technische Universität Wien, Stadionallee 2, 1020 Wien, Austria — ²Institut Laue-Langevin, BP 156, 6 rue Jules Horowitz, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France

In the frame of the qBounce experiment, resonant transitions between several of the lowest quantum states of gravitationally bound neutrons are observed for the first time. The coupling between the states is provided by well-defined mechanical oscillations of the confining neutron mirrors boundary conditions. The Rabi- like setup in the latest generation is improved by renouncing the upper confining mirror. The presented spectroscopy method enables a frequency's view on Newton's Inverse Square Law of Gravity, which has been put under scrutiny by theoretical extensions of the Standard Model. The method allows testing the weak equivalence principle (WEP) for a quantum system in the sub-millimetre regime of space-time. The weak equivalence principle is a corner stone of our understanding of gravitation, which is being challenged by emerging theories.