PT3 - Precision Tests at Sub-Millimeter Distances |
Speaker_ |
Unnikrishnan, C-s |
Talk _ |
The Equivalence Principle and its tests in the context of Gravity, Quantum Mechanics and Cosmology |
Abstract _ |
This paper is an overview of the tests, validity and meaning of the equivalence principle. I will review the empirical evidence and possible gaps in the classical context as well as in the context of quantum dynamics. I will discuss the possibility of direct and indirect tests of the equivalence principle for the Casimir energy, and for energy in quantum vacuum in general. Closely related is the question of the active gravitational mass of the quantum vacuum. A reliable strategy for drawing empirical conclusions in such experimentally difficult situations based on conservation principles and supplementary experiments will be outlined. The equivalence principle will be analyzed in the context of cosmology, and will be shown to be directly related to the properties of the universe. This implies the need for a revision of the meaning of the results from high sensitivity tests of the equivalence principle. |