Testing Einstein's Equivalence Principle and its Cosmological Evolution from Quasar Gravitational Redshifts

TL;DR

This study introduces a novel method to test Einstein's Equivalence Principle using quasar gravitational redshifts, finding no evidence of cosmological evolution of EEP within current measurement uncertainties.

Contribution

It is the first to measure gravitational redshift ratios in quasars across a wide redshift range, providing a new cosmological test of EEP with competitive precision.

Findings

Measured gravitational redshift ratios consistent with predictions

No detectable cosmological evolution of EEP within uncertainties

Method shows potential for high-precision future tests

Abstract

We propose and apply a new test of Einstein's Equivalence Principle (EEP) based on the gravitational redshift induced by the central super massive black hole of quasars in the surrounding accretion disk. Specifically, we compare the observed gravitational redshift of the Fe III$\lambda\lambda$2039-2113 emission line blend in quasars with the predicted values in a wide, uncharted, cosmic territory ($0 \lesssim z_{cosm}\lesssim3$). For the first time we measure, with statistical uncertainties comparable or better than those of other classical methods outside the Solar System, the ratio between the observed gravitational redshifts and the theoretical predictions in 10 independent cosmological redshift bins in the $1 \lesssim z_{cosm}\lesssim3$ range. The average of the measured over predicted gravitational redshifts ratio in this cosmological redshift interval is $\langle z^m_g/z_g^p\rangle=1.05\pm 0.06$ with scatter $0.13\pm 0.05$ showing no cosmological evolution of EEP within these limits. This method can benefit from larger samples of measurements with better S/N ratios, paving the way for high precision tests (below 1\%) of EEP on cosmological scales.