Search Publications
Space test of the equivalence principle: first results of the MICROSCOPE mission
Bergé, Joel; Chhun, Ratana; Métris, Gilles +31 more
The weak equivalence principle (WEP), stating that two bodies of different compositions and/or mass fall at the same rate in a gravitational field (universality of free fall), is at the very foundation of general relativity. The MICROSCOPE mission aims to test its validity to a precision of 10-15, two orders of magnitude better than cur…
M I C R O S C O P E limits on the strength of a new force with comparisons to gravity and electromagnetism
Fayet, Pierre
Extremely weak new forces could lead to apparent violations of the equivalence principle. The MICROSCOPE experiment implies that the relative strength of a new long-range force, compared with gravity, is constrained to |α¯ g|<3.2 ×10-11 , 2.3 ×10-13 , 2.2 ×10-13 , 6.7 ×10-13 , and 1.5 ×10
New Test of Lorentz Invariance Using the MICROSCOPE Space Mission
Métris, Gilles; Rodrigues, Manuel; Touboul, Pierre +11 more
We use data from the T-SAGE instrument on board the MICROSCOPE space mission to search for Lorentz violation in matter-gravity couplings as described by the Lorentz violating standard model extension (SME) coefficients (a¯ eff)µw , where (µ =T , X , Y , Z ) and (w =e , p , n ) for the electron, proton, …
General study of chameleon fifth force in gravity space experiments
Bergé, Joel; Pernot-Borràs, Martin; Uzan, Jean-Philippe +1 more
In this article we investigate the profile of the scalar field of a scalar-tensor theory subject to the chameleon mechanism in the context of gravity space missions like the MICROSCOPE experiment. We analyze the experimental situations for models with an inverse power-law potential that can in principle induce a fifth force inside the satellite, a…
Fine-structure constant constraints on late-time dark energy transitions
Martins, C. J. A. P.; Prat Colomer, M.
We use recent astrophysical and local tests of the stability of the fine-structure constant, α, to constrain a particular phenomenological but physically motivated class of models in which the dark energy equation of state can undergo a rapid transition at low redshifts, perhaps associated with the onset of the acceleration phase. We set constrain…