Significance of Composition-Dependent Effects in Fifth-Force Searches

TL;DR

This paper emphasizes the importance of using multiple sample pairs in experiments to effectively detect composition-dependent fifth forces, highlighting the need for new experimental approaches.

Contribution

It introduces the necessity of analyzing three or more sample pairs in experiments to reliably identify composition-dependent fifth forces, proposing a new experimental framework.

Findings

Modern experiments have not supported composition-dependent fifth forces.

Multiple sample pairs are essential for detecting composition dependence.

A new experimental approach is recommended for future searches.

Abstract

Indications of a possible composition-dependent fifth force, based on a reanalysis of the E\"{o}tv\"{o}s experiment, have not been supported by a number of modern experiments. Here, we argue that searching for a composition-dependent fifth force necessarily requires data from experiments in which the acceleration differences of three or more independent pairs of test samples of varying composition are determined. We suggest that a new round of fifth-force experiments is called for, in each of which three or more different pairs of samples are compared.