Physicists have measured the smallest gravitational field ever recorded in an experiment that could help discover a unified theory of physics.
Of the four basic forces known to physics – weak and strong interactions, electromagnetic force and gravitational force – only gravity remains unchecked in the physics playbook known as the standard model, which describes how the zoo of subatomic particles behaves. Described by him instead of gravity Einstein’s general theory of relativity, But breaking down on this quantum scale, our best picture of the universe is divided into two parts.
Consequently, physics still cannot describe how gravity works on a sub atomic scale, when physicists come to understand the loneliness that exists in the centers of black holes, or why gravity is so weaker than all forces. Other forces.
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But a new experiment that measures the attraction of miniscule gravity between tiny spherical spheres, each with an area of only 2 millimeters, may be the first of many to provide an indication of how gravity works on these scales.
“Jeremiah Fuff, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, co-author of the study,” said, “to create sensors capable of measuring very small accelerations and to establish methods that were a proof-of-concept.” “In the long run, we want to respond to what seems to be the gravitational field of a quantum of matter in a superposition, but there is still a lot to be done along the way,” Faffa said, referring to the gravity experienced by subtomics Are in two quantum states at the same time.
To see how gravity works on tiny scales, researchers used a smaller version of the torsion balance – a device that was first invented in 1798 by the English scientist Henry Cavendish to measure density. Earth, And from it the force of gravitational stability, called g.
The torsion balance is a horizontal bar suspended from its center by a wire with two masses, in this case gold spheres, attached to each end. This means that if small Force Applied along the horizontal axis of the strip, the wire bends and scientists can measure the force applied based on how far the strip has rotated. By bringing a third gold sphere closer together to the end of the bar, the researchers were able to measure the force of gravity between it and the pink field.
The force that the researchers were looking for was small. After about 9 × 10 14 14 Newtons, it will be the force that is one third Human blood cells Will experience in the Earth’s gravitational field. The experiment therefore needed to be highly sensitive, and the researchers had to reduce external noise exposure, ensure that no stray charge was attached to the device, and find a way to find the desired signal.
“Even the urban environment is far from ideal,” Faffaf said. “It was amazing to see that we were not only sensitive to small earthquakes, but also to local trams and single buses. We were also able to see the Vienna City Marathon in our data.”
Ionized nitrogen filled the area around the device with water before placing them in a vacuum to get rid of any stray charges. They also created small gravitational signals which they explored by moving both fields more slowly and more.
Just as flashing light is more noticeable than static, the increasing and decreasing gravitational force between the spheres made it easier to choose than it would have been static. This enabled researchers to find the strength of the gravitational force between the two fields and to find their own measure for gravitational stability.
So far, the scale they were measuring, gravity follows the same predictive rules that it does in large part. Physicists now hope to make their experiment more sensitive so that they can take small signals from people at least 1,000 times lighter and shorter distances. This could provide important clues to a theory that, along with insights into other mysteries such as the existence of dark matter, explains gravity on both small and large scales, a mysterious form of matter that does not excite light, pulls gravity.
On tiny scales, researchers can begin to discover new ways of interacting by gravity – ways that follow the more bizarre laws of the quantum world. If they do, physics could eventually begin to bridge the gap between our smaller and smaller pictures of the universe.
“Expanding our knowledge on this elusive power can help us gather clues to find a more basic understanding of our physical reality,” Faffa said.
Published on Original Living Science.
