Potential of constraining the Fifth Force Using the Earth as a Spin and Mass Source from space

TL;DR

This paper proposes using low Earth orbit spacecraft to leverage Earth's mass and spin as a novel method to significantly tighten constraints on hypothetical long-range spin- and velocity-dependent forces.

Contribution

It introduces a space-based experimental model that can improve bounds on exotic interactions by up to three orders of magnitude compared to current limits.

Findings

Theoretical demonstration of enhanced sensitivity to velocity-dependent interactions.

Potential to improve existing bounds on exotic forces by up to 1000 times.

Use of the China Space Station as a case study for the proposed method.

Abstract

We explore the potential of conducting an experiment in a low Earth orbit spacecraft and using the Earth as a spin and mass source to constrain beyond-the-standard-model (BSM) long-range spin- and velocity-dependent interactions, which are mediated by the exchange of an ultralight $\left(m_{Z^{\prime}}<10^{-10}\text{eV}\right)$ or massless intermediate vector boson. The high speed of the low Earth orbit spacecraft can enhance the sensitivity to velocity-dependent interactions. The periodicity enables efficient extraction of signals from background noise, thereby improving the experiment's accuracy. Combining these advantages, we demonstrate theoretically that the novel Spacecraft-Earth model can improve existing bounds on these exotic interactions by up to three orders of magnitude, using the China Space Station (CSS) as a representative low-Earth-orbit carrier. Such a model, if successfully implemented, may provide an innovative strategy for detecting ultralight dark matter and yield tighter constraints on certain coupling constants of exotic interactions.