Testing long-distance modifications of gravity to 100 astronomical units

TL;DR

This paper proposes a space mission to test the inverse square law of gravity at distances up to 100 AU, significantly improving sensitivity to potential deviations and testing theories related to dark matter and dark energy.

Contribution

It introduces a feasible space experiment to measure gravity at solar system scales, surpassing current sensitivity limits by over two orders of magnitude.

Findings

Sensitivity to Yukawa corrections at 10^{-7} strength and 100 AU scale.

Extends gravity tests to the largest feasible distances with known technology.

Provides a new experimental approach to probe dark matter and dark energy theories.

Abstract

There are very few direct experimental tests of the inverse square law of gravity at distances comparable to the scale of the Solar System and beyond. Here we describe a possible space mission optimized to test the inverse square law at a scale of up to 100 AU. For example, sensitivity to a Yukawa correction with a strength of $10^{-7}$ times gravity and length scale of 100 AU is within reach, improving the current state of the art by over two orders of magnitude. This experiment would extend our understanding of gravity to the largest scale that can be reached with a direct probe using known technology. This would provide a powerful test of long-distance modifications of gravity including many theories motivated by dark matter or dark energy.