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Tower Gravity Experiment: Evidence for Non-Newtonian Gravity

Donald H. Eckhardt, Christopher Jekeli, Andrew R. Lazarewicz, Anestis J. Romaides, Roger W. Sands

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Abstract

We tested Newton's inverse-square law of gravitation by comparing gravity measured on a 600-m tower with gravity calculated from ground measurements. A significant departure from the law was detected, approaching (- 500\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}35)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ ${\mathrm{ms}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ at the top of the tower and suggestive of a rapidly attenuating non-Newtonian attractive force. These results are marginally consistent with a one-term Yukawa-type attractive force, but they are fully consistent with two Yukawa-type forces, attractive and repulsive, and then also with Airy and Cavendish experiments.

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What this paper is about

We tested Newton's inverse-square law of gravitation by comparing gravity measured on a 600-m tower with gravity calculated from ground measurements. A significant departure from the law was detected, approaching (- 500\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}35)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ ${\mathrm{ms}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ at the top of the tower and suggestive of a rapidly attenuating non-Newtonian attractive force. These results are marginally consistent with a one-term Yukawa-type attractive force, but they are fully consistent with two Yukawa-type forces, attractive and repulsive, and then also with Airy and Cavendish experiments.

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Available abstract

We tested Newton's inverse-square law of gravitation by comparing gravity measured on a 600-m tower with gravity calculated from ground measurements. A significant departure from the law was detected, approaching (- 500\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}35)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ ${\mathrm{ms}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ at the top of the tower and suggestive of a rapidly attenuating non-Newtonian attractive force. These results are marginally consistent with a one-term Yukawa-type attractive force, but they are fully consistent with two Yukawa-type forces, attractive and repulsive, and then also with Airy and Cavendish experiments.

Key concepts: Yukawa potential, Inverse-square law, Physics, Fifth force, Tower, Newtonian fluid, Newtonian potential, Gravitation

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