Satellite E\"otv\"os Test of the Weak Equivalence Principle for Zero-Point Vacuum Energy

TL;DR

This paper proposes a satellite-based experiment to test the weak equivalence principle for zero-point vacuum energy, aiming to shed light on dark energy and the cosmological constant problem.

Contribution

It introduces a novel satellite experiment to measure potential WEP violations for vacuum energy, connecting quantum gravity models with cosmological implications.

Findings

Estimated zero-point vacuum energy density ratio ~ 1.6 x 10^{-14}

Potential to detect 1% WEP violation with satellite sensitivity of 10^{-16}

Implications for understanding dark energy and quantum gravity models

Abstract

An E\"otv\"os experiment to test the weak equivalence principle (WEP) for zero-point vacuum energy is proposed using a satellite. Following the suggestion of Ross for a terrestrial experiment of this type, the acceleration of a spherical test mass of aluminum would be compared with that of a similar test mass made from another material. The estimated ratio of the zero-point vacuum energy density inside the aluminum sphere to the rest mass energy density is ~ 1.6 X 10^{-14}, which would allow a 1% resolution of a potential WEP violation observed in a satellite mission test that had a baseline sensitivity to WEP violations of ~ 10^{-16}. An observed violation of the WEP for vacuum energy density would constitute a significant clue as to the origin of the cosmological constant and the source of dark energy, and test a recently proposed resolution of the cosmological constant problem, based on a model of nonlocal quantum gravity and quantum field theory.