Improvement for Testing the Gravitational Inverse-Square Law at the Submillimeter Range.

We improve the test of the gravitational inverse-square law at the submillimeter range by suppressing the vibration of the electrostatic shielding membrane to reduce the disturbance coupled from the residual surface potential. The result shows that, at a 95% confidence level, the gravitational inverse-square law holds (|α|≤1) down to a length scale λ=48  μm. This work establishes the strongest bound on the magnitude α of the Yukawa violation in the range of 40-350  μm, and improves the previous bounds by up to a factor of 3 at the length scale λ≈70  μm.

Null test of Newtonian inverse-square law at submillimeter range with a dual-modulation torsion pendulum.

A null experimental test of the Newtonian inverse-square law at submillimeter range using a torsion pendulum was presented. Under the dual modulations of both the expected signal and the gravitational torque for calibration, our data concluded with 95% confidence that no new forces were observed and any gravitational-strength Yukawa forces (|alpha|>or=1) must have a length scale lambda<66 microm, agreeing well with the latest result of the Eöt-wash group. Our result sets a unification energy scale of M*>or=2.