Test of Equivalence Principle and Search for New Short Range Force

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24340045
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Particle/Nuclear/Cosmic ray/Astro physics
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Komamiya Sachio 東京大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (80126060)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KAMIYA Yoshio 東京大学, 素粒子物理国際研究センター, 助教 (90434323) ; YAMAMURA Kazuya 大阪大学, 大学院工学研究科, 准教授 (60240074) ; SANUKI Tomoyuki 東北大学, 大学院理学研究科, 准教授 (70323491)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 超冷中性子 / CCD / 量子束縛状態 / 未知短距離力

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In 2013 vertical distribution of the bound states of ultracold neutrons was measured with an accuracy < 1μm, and it agrees with the prediction of quantum mechanics using the Wigner function. This is the first clear result of this type and it was published in Phys. Rev. Let. Based on these studies, new short-range force was searched for by measuring the angular distributions of cold neutron scattering with Xe nuclei. We imposed the best limit for the theory of new short range forces in the range of 0.04nm to 4nm. This result was also published in Phys. Rev. Let. Furthermore, we proposed a new experiment to test the Equivalent Principle in the quantum mechanical environment within an accuracy of 0.1%. In the experiment time development of the quantum states is measured after setting the initial distribution by the neutron chopper. Time evolution of quantum states with different velocities is measured by the neutron pixel detector with high precision.

Free Research Field

素粒子実験