Probing Lambda-Gravity with Bose-Einstein condensate

Abstract

We propose a precise test of two fundamental gravitational constants using a novel detector concept that exploits the dynamics of quantum phononic excitations in a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), operable at the scale of table-top experiments. In this setup, the sensitivity is enhanced by approximately two orders of magnitude through the use of a tritter operation, which mixes phononic excitations with the BEC's ground state. The BEC exhibits unique sensitivity to the two key components of the gravitational potential in Λ-gravity: the Newtonian GM/r term and the cosmological constant Λr². Using state-of-the-art experimental design, we predict that the gravitational constant G could be measured with an accuracy up to 10⁻¹⁷ N m²/kg², representing an improvement by two orders of magnitude over current measurements. Moreover, this experiment could establish the best Earth-based upper limit on Λ at <10⁻³¹ m⁻², marking the first laboratory-based probe of the cosmological constant. Additionally, the setup allows for the measurement of the distance-dependent behaviour of each term in the gravitational potential, providing a novel means to test modified gravity theories.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Alexander Belyaev: orcid.org/0000-0002-1733-4408

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