Stronger limits on hypothetical Yukawa interactions in the 40--8000 nm range

TL;DR

This paper presents new experimental limits on hypothetical short-range forces in the 40-8000 nm range by using differential force measurements that significantly improve upon previous constraints, employing Casimir force subtraction and lock-in techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a novel measurement method that enhances sensitivity to non-Newtonian forces at nanometer scales, setting stronger limits than prior experiments.

Findings

Up to 1000-fold improvement in force constraints.

Effective Casimir force subtraction technique.

New bounds on Yukawa-type interactions in the 40-8000 nm range.

Abstract

We report the results of new differential force measurements between a test mass and rotating source masses of gold and silicon to search for forces beyond Newtonian gravity at short separations. The technique employed subtracts the otherwise dominant Casimir force at the outset and, when combined with a lock-in amplification technique, leads to a significant improvement (up to a factor $10^{3}$) over existing limits on the strength (relative to gravity) of a putative force in the 40--8000 nm interaction range.