AUTHOR=Zhou Lin , Yan Si-Tong , Ji Yu-Hang , He Chuan , Jiang Jun-Jie , Hou Zhuo , Xu Run-Dong , Wang Qi , Li Zhi-Xin , Gao Dong-Feng , Liu Min , Ni Wei-Tou , Wang Jin , Zhan Ming-Sheng 

TITLE=Toward a high-precision mass–energy test of the equivalence principle with atom interferometers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physics

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2022.1039119

DOI=10.3389/fphy.2022.1039119

ISSN=2296-424X

ABSTRACT=The equivalence principle (EP) is a basic assumption of the general relativity. The quantum test
of EP with atoms is an important way to examine the applicable scope of the current physical
framework, so as to discover new physics. Recently we extended the traditional pure mass or
energy tests of EP to joint test of mass-energy using atomic interferometer, and the violation
parameter of mass is constrained to η0 = (−0.8 ± 1.4) × 10E−10 , and that of internal energy to
ηE = (0.0 ± 0.4) × 10E−10 per reduced energy ratio. Here first we briefly outline the joint test
idea and experimental results, then we analyze and discuss how to improve the test accuracy.
Finally, we report the latest experimental progress towards higher precision mass-energy test of
EP. We have observed atomic interference fringes of 2T = 2.6 s in the 10-m long-baseline atom
interferometer. This free evolution time T to our best knowledge is the longest one realized in the
laboratory, and the corresponding resolution of gravity measurement is 4.5 × 10E−11g per shot.