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arXiv · 1001.4752

A weak equivalence principle test on a suborbital rocket

Robert D. Reasenberg·James D. Phillips
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Abstract

We describe a Galilean test of the weak equivalence principle, to be conducted during the free fall portion of a sounding rocket flight. The test of a single pair of substances is aimed at a measurement uncertainty of sigma(eta) < 10^-16 after averaging the results of eight separate drops. The weak equivalence principle measurement is made with a set of four laser gauges that are expected to achieve 0.1 pm Hz^-1/2. The discovery of a violation (eta not equal to 0) would have profound implications for physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.

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Robert D. Reasenberg, James D. Phillips. 2010-01-26. A weak equivalence principle test on a suborbital rocket. https://doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381%2F27%2F9%2F095005

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