For the most accurate test of the law of universal gravitation, scientists measured a record-breaking weak gravitational field.
In order to make a change, scientists have created a device with which it is possible to determine with maximum accuracy the force with which the spheres of gold with a diameter of only a millimeter and a mass of 90 milligrams are attracted to each other.
Previously, similar measurements were carried out for objects weighing a kilogram or more, and we did it with spheres weighing 90 mg. This opens the way for even more accurate measurements – for example, for bodies comparable in mass to the largest elementary particles.
Research text
Professor at the University of Vienna Markus Aspelmeyer and his colleagues traced how, as the balls moved away and closer to each other, they were attracted by another golden sphere, which scientists placed at a short distance from one of the balls.
Received. information. they used to calculate the gravitational constant G, the value of which is not determined as accurately as possible.
As a result, the authors of the experiment obtained a relatively accurate value of G, which differs from generally accepted estimates by about 9%.
Scientists are going to continue to work to check if this discrepancy was a simple measurement error or if it really exists.
