Constraints on Non-Newtonian Gravity from Recent Casimir Force Measurements

TL;DR

Recent Casimir force measurements significantly tighten constraints on non-Newtonian gravity models, especially those involving Yukawa and power-type potentials, making them promising for testing fundamental physics theories.

Contribution

This paper reviews and demonstrates how recent Casimir force experiments have improved bounds on hypothetical non-Newtonian interactions over a broad range of distances.

Findings

Casimir measurements have strengthened constraints on Yukawa-type potentials by up to several thousand times.

The results extend the limits on power-type potentials with various powers.

Future experiments are expected to further improve these constraints.

Abstract

Corrections to Newton's gravitational law inspired by extra dimensional physics and by the exchange of light and massless elementary particles between the atoms of two macrobodies are considered. These corrections can be described by the potentials of Yukawa-type and by the power-type potentials with different powers. The strongest up to date constraints on the corrections to Newton's gravitational law are reviewed following from the E\"{o}tvos- and Cavendish-type experiments and from the measurements of the Casimir and van der Waals force. We show that the recent measurements of the Casimir force gave the possibility to strengthen the previously known constraints on the constants of hypothetical interactions up to several thousand times in a wide interaction range. Further strengthening is expected in near future that makes Casimir force measurements a prospective test for the predictions of fundamental physical theories.