Search Publications
MICROSCOPE Mission: First Constraints on the Violation of the Weak Equivalence Principle by a Light Scalar Dilaton
Bergé, Joel; Pernot-Borràs, Martin; Uzan, Jean-Philippe +3 more
The existence of a light or massive scalar field with a coupling to matter weaker than gravitational strength is a possible source of violation of the weak equivalence principle. We use the first results on the Eötvös parameter by the MICROSCOPE experiment to set new constraints on such scalar fields. For a massive scalar field of mass smaller tha…
Violation of the equivalence principle from light scalar dark matter
Wolf, Peter; Hees, Aurélien; Minazzoli, Olivier +2 more
In this paper, we study the local observational consequences of a violation of the Einstein equivalence principle induced by models of light scalar dark matter (DM). We focus on two different models where the scalar field couples linearly or quadratically to the standard model of matter fields. For both these cases, we derive the solutions of the …
MICROSCOPE limits for new long-range forces and implications for unified theories
Fayet, Pierre
Many theories beyond the standard model involve an extra U (1 ) gauge group. The resulting gauge boson U , in general mixed with the Z and the photon, may be massless or very light and very weakly coupled. It may be viewed as a generalized dark photon interacting with matter through a linear combination [ɛQQ +ɛBB +ɛL
Testing the equivalence principle in space after the MICROSCOPE mission
Nobili, Anna M.; Anselmi, Alberto
Tests of the weak equivalence principle (WEP) can reveal a new, composition dependent, force of nature, or disprove many models of new physics. For the first time, such a test is being successfully carried out in space by the MICROSCOPE satellite. Early results show no violation of the WEP sourced by the Earth for Pt and Ti test masses with random…
Testing the Universality of Free Fall towards Dark Matter with Radio Pulsars
Kramer, Michael; Shao, Lijing; Wex, Norbert
The violation of the weak equivalence principle (EP) in the gravitational field of Earth, described by the Eötvös parameter η⊕ , was recently constrained to the level |η⊕| ≲10-14 by the MICROSCOPE space mission. The Eötvös parameter ηDM, pertaining to the differential couplings of dark matter (DM) and or…
MICROSCOPE mission: drag-free and attitude control system expertise activities toward the scientific team
Robert, Alain; Guidotti, Pierre-Yves; Prieur, Pascal +2 more
Microscope is a CNES-ESA-ONERA-CNRS-OCA-DLR-ZARM mission dedicated to the test of the Equivalence Principle with an improved accuracy of 10-15. The 300 kg drag-free microsatellite was launched on April 25th 2016 into a 710 km dawndusk sun-synchronous orbit for a 2-year mission. To comply with stringent requirements, the drag-free and at…
Einstein rules at a precision of 2 × 10-14
Bergé, Joel; Rodrigues, Manuel; Touboul, Pierre
The MICROSCOPE experiment has set the best upper bound to date on the weak equivalence principle, proving Einstein's postulate with an unprecedented precision, as explained by Principal Investigator Pierre Touboul and team members Manuel Rodrigues and Joel Bergé.