Search for Lorentz invariance violation through tests of the gravitational inverse square law at short-ranges

TL;DR

This study tests Lorentz invariance violation by examining non-Newtonian gravitational forces at short ranges, setting new experimental limits and highlighting the significance of edge effects in such measurements.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of edge effects on Lorentz violation tests at millimeter scales, establishing the most stringent constraints to date.

Findings

Set new upper limits on Lorentz violation coefficients at 10^{-8} m^2

Demonstrated edge effects dominate the force measurements

Provided refined experimental methodology for short-range gravity tests

Abstract

A search for sidereal variations in the non-Newtonian force between two tungsten plates separated at millimeter ranges sets experimental limits on Lorentz invariance violation involving quadratic couplings of Riemann curvature. We show that the Lorentz invariance violation force between two finite flat plates is dominated by the edge effects, which includes a suppression effect leading to lower limits than previous rough estimates. From this search, we determine the current best constraints of the Lorentz invariance violating coefficients at a level of $10^{-8}$ m$^{2}$.