Atom interferometers and a small-scale test of general relativity

TL;DR

This paper proposes a laboratory experiment using atom interferometers to detect general relativistic effects, specifically frame-dragging, in a controlled, small-scale setting, aiming to advance experimental tests of gravity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel concept for detecting frame-dragging effects in a lab using dense, rapidly-revolving cylinders and atomic interferometers, which could be feasible with next-generation technology.

Findings

Dense rotating cylinders can produce measurable frame-dragging effects

Next-generation atomic interferometers could detect these effects in a lab setting

Theoretical calculations support the feasibility of the proposed experiment

Abstract

Since the first appearance of general relativity in 1916, various experiments have been conducted to test the theory. Due to the weakness of the interactions involved, all of the documented tests were carried out in a gravitational field generated by objects of an astronomical scale. We propose an idea for an experiment that could detect purely general-relativistic effects in a lab-generated gravitational field. It is shown that a set of dense rapidly-revolving cylinders produce a frame-dragging effect substantial enough to be two orders of magnitude away from the observable range of the next generation of atomic interferometers. The metric tensor due to a uniform rotating axisymmetric body in the weak-field limit is calculated and the phase shift formula for the interferometer is derived. This article is meant to demonstrate feasibility of the concept and stimulate further research into the field of low-scale experiments in general relativity. It is by no means a fully developed experiment proposal.