Testing the Equivalence Principle
in Space and on Ground

Pescara, September 20 - 23, 2004

   

Objective

Time and Place

Organization

Topics

Speakers and Talks

Scientific Programme

Participants

Book

First test in space

 

Objective
 
The Equivalence Principle, or the Universality of Free Fall, is the cornerstone of General Relativity and, thus, of modern physics. It has been tested and confirmed with very high precision. Recently quantum gravity and unifying theories predict tiny deviations from the Equivalence Principle. This gives additional motivation for improving the experimental efforts. This conference is dedicated to the meaning of the Equivalence Principle, to approaches leading to violations of the Equivalence Principle, and to the past, present, and future tests.
 
 
Time and Place
 
Arrival: Sunday, September 19, 2004.
Begin of conference: Monday, September 20, 2004, 9 a.m.
End of conference: Thursday, September 23, 2004, 5 p.m..
 
 

The conference will be held at the International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics ICRA in Pescara

 

 

(Click on the image to get a larger view.)
  A beamer for computer presentations as well as an overhead projector
are available.
   
Organization
 
Scientific Programme Commitee:

R. Bingham (RAL, UK)
Ch. J. Bordé (Univ. Paris)
A.M. Cruise (Univ. Birmingham)
T. Damour (IHES, Paris)

C.W.F. Everitt (Univ. Stanford)
C. Lämmerzahl (Univ. Bremen)
R. Reinhard (ESA)
R. Ruffini (Univ. Rome)
G. Schäfer (Univ. Jena)
T. Sumner (Imerial College, London)
P. Touboul (ONERA, Paris)
S. Vitale (Univ. Trento)

 
Symposium Secretary
C. Lämmerzahl surface: ZARM
University of Bremen
Am Fallturm
28359 Bremen
Germany
  e-mail: laemmerzahl@zarm.uni-bremen.de
  Phone: +49(0)421-218-8687
  Fax: +49(0)421-218-2521
   
  Local Organizing Commitee
  D. Bini
C. Bianco (chair)
F. Frascetti
Xue She Sheng
   
   
Topics
 

The meaning of the Equivalence Principle
versions of the EP, mathematical formulation, extended objects, geometrization, implication for metrology

Violations of the Equivalence Principle?
general scheme, quantum gravity motivated scenarios, spin, anti-matter

Ground-based tests of the Equivalence Principle
free fall tests, torsion balance, GGG, cryogenic methods

Laser Ranging and tests of the Equivalence Prinicple

MICROSCOPE
mission design, payload, error analysis, FEEPs

STEP
mission design, test mass, SQUID, EPS, drag-free-control, heluim-tide control, dewar, error analysis

Alternative concepts for space tests
GG, SEE, baloon test

Quantum tests
neutrons, atom interferometry, anti-matter, BEC

   
   
Scientific Programme
 
Monday, 20.09.2004


09:00 - 09:10
Ruffini
Welcome and Introduction

09:10 - 09:50 Everitt
Reflections on the History of Testing Equivalence and Their Relevance to Space-Based Experiments

09:50 - 10:35 Ehlers
The Meaning of the Equivalence Principle I

10:30 - 11:00 coffee

11:00 - 11:45 Ehlers
The Meaning of the Equivalence Principle II

11:45 - 12:30 Kleinert
Equivalence Principle from Nonholonomic Mapping of Flat-Space to Curved-Space Physics

12:30 - 15:00 lunch

15:00 - 15:45 Ruffini
Equivalence principle in electrodynamics and radiation process

15:45 - 16:15 Laemmerzahl
Parametrizing violations of the EP

16:15 - 16:45 coffee

16:45 - 17:30 Heckel
Laboratory Tests of the Equivalence Principle

17:30 - 18:15 Schmidt
Short range test of Newton`s law

18:15 - 18:45 Dittus

Equivalence Principle test at Bremen drop tower


Tuesday, 21.09.2004


09:00 - 09:45
Touboul
MICROSCOPE: The payload

09:45 - 10:30 Rodrigues
The electrostatic positioning system for STEP

10:30 - 10:55 coffee

10:55 - 11:25 Nicolini
MICROSCOPE: The FEEP technology

11:25 - 11:55 Metris
Errors due to the gravity gradient in the MICROSCOPE mission

11:55 - 12:50 Nordtvedt
Dropping Gravity: LLR and the 35 Year Comparison of Free-Falling Earth and Moon

12:30 - 14:30 lunch

14:30 - 15:15 Everitt
Status of GP-B

15:15 - 16:00 Sumner
The Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle STEP

16:00 - 16:30 Nordtvedt
Special Relativity plus the EP: Gateway to Post-Newtonian Gravity Effects

Banquet




Wednesday, 22.09.2004


09:00 - 09:45
Turyshev
Lunar Laser Ranging Tests of the Equivalence Principle

09:45 - 10:30 Reasenberg
An Equivalence Principle Test During a 1 s Suborbital Flight

10:30 - 11:00 coffee

11:00 - 11:45 Nobili
GG, GGG and GATE

11:45 - 12:30 Turyshev
LATOR: Laser Test of Relativity

12:30 - 14:30 lunch

14:30 - 15:15 Walz
A proposal for testing the Equivalence Principle for anti-hydrogen

15:15 - 16:00 Witteborn
Test of the Equivalence Principle with charged matter

16:00 - 17:30 coffee

17:00 - 17:45 Dittus
The equivalence principle for charged matter

17:45 - 18:15 Iafolla
GReAT (General Relativity Accuracy Test)

18:15 - 18:45 Gurzadyan
Probing the light speed anisotropy with rtespect to the cosmic microwave background radiation dipole

 

Thursday, 23.09.2004


09:00 - 09:45
Clarke
GP-B heritage technology forSTEP

09:45 - 10:45 Peters
A test of the EP with atomic interferometry

10:45 - 11:15 coffee

11:00 - 11:15 Ruffini
Meeting in Ground Floor Hall with High School students, which then will attend there a lecture in Italian by Sigismondi on "Introduction to Error Analysis in Equivalence Principle Tests"

11:15 - 11:45 Torii
GP-B Lessons learned for STEP

11:45 - 12:30 Worden
Requirements, Error Analysis, and Lessons from GP-B for STEP

12:30 - 14:45lunch

14:45 - 15:15Torii
STEP Technology Development

15:15 - 15:45 Pegrum
Cryogenic electronics for STEP

15:45 - 16:15 Sumner
Test mass charge control

16:15 - 16:40 coffee

16:40 - 17:10 Lockerbie
Test mass design

17:10 - 17:40 Löffler
Requirements for the Test Mass Fabrication

17:40 - 18:10 Kent
STEP probe design

18:10 - 18:40 Theil
Drag free control and simulations

 

Participants
 
Here is the list of participants
 
   
Book
 

Speakers are invited to contribute to a book "Testing the Equivalence Principle on Ground and in Space", to be published by Springer in the Lecture Notes of Physics Series. Springer has already accepted to do so.

Editors of the book will be C. Lämmerzahl, C.W.F. Everitt and R. Ruffini.
All papers will be refereed.
The publication will be in 2005 (Year of Physics). Deadline for subission is December 20, 2004.
 
Papers can be submitted in any format. However, tex is preferred. Any tex style will be accepted. For those who like to prepare it in the style the paper will appear, there are style files from Springer.
 
  First test of the Equivalence Principle in space