Constraints on Light Pseudoscalars Implied by Tests of the Gravitational Inverse-Square Law

The exchange of light pseudoscalars between fermions leads to a spin-independent potential in order g^4, where g is the Yukawa pseudoscalar-fermion coupling constant. This potential gives rise to detectable violations of both the weak equivalence principle (WEP) and the gravitational inverse-square law (ISL), even if g is quite small. We show that when previously derived WEP constraints are combined with those arisingfrom ISL tests, a direct experimental limit on the Yukawa coupling of light pseudoscalars to neutrons can be inferred for the first time (g_n^2/4pi < 1.6 \times 10^-7), along with a new (and significantly improved) limit on the coupling of light pseudoscalars to protons.Comment: 12 pages, Revtex, with 1 Postscript figure (submitted to Physical Review Letters

Fichte and Hegel on Recognition

In this paper I provide an interpretation of Hegel’s account of ‘recognition’ (Anerkennung) in the 1802-3 System of Ethical Life as a critique of Fichte’s account of recognition in the 1796-7 Foundations of Natural Right. In the first three sections of the paper I argue that Fichte’s account of recognition in the domain of right is not concerned with recognition as a moral attitude. I then turn, in section four, to a discussion of Hegel’s critique and transformation of Fichte’s conception of recognition. Hegel’s transformation consists, I argue, in the claim that a comprehensive account of recognition in the domain of right must be concerned with recognition as a moral attitude

Effects of Bose-Einstein Condensation on forces among bodies sitting in a boson heat bath

We explore the consequences of Bose-Einstein condensation on two-scalar-exchange mediated forces among bodies that sit in a boson gas. We find that below the condensation temperature the range of the forces becomes infinite while it is finite at temperatures above condensation.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

Gravitational solution to the Pioneer 10/11 anomaly

A fully relativistic modified gravitational theory including a fifth force skew symmetric field is fitted to the Pioneer 10/11 anomalous acceleration. The theory allows for a variation with distance scales of the gravitational constant G, the fifth force skew symmetric field coupling strength omega and the mass of the skew symmetric field mu=1/lambda. A fit to the available anomalous acceleration data for the Pioneer 10/11 spacecraft is obtained for a phenomenological representation of the "running" constants and values of the associated parameters are shown to exist that are consistent with fifth force experimental bounds. The fit to the acceleration data is consistent with all current satellite, laser ranging and observations for the inner planets.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables. typo's were corrected at Equations (4) and (12) and a third table including our predictions for the anomalous perihelion advance of the planets was adde

Experimental procedures for precision measurements of the Casimir force with an Atomic Force Microscope

Experimental methods and procedures required for precision measurements of the Casimir force are presented. In particular, the best practices for obtaining stable cantilevers, calibration of the cantilever, correction of thermal and mechanical drift, measuring the contact separation, sphere radius and the roughness are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

Rigorous approach to the comparison between experiment and theory in Casimir force measurements

In most experiments on the Casimir force the comparison between measurement data and theory was done using the concept of the root-mean-square deviation, a procedure that has been criticized in literature. Here we propose a special statistical analysis which should be performed separately for the experimental data and for the results of the theoretical computations. In so doing, the random, systematic, and total experimental errors are found as functions of separation, taking into account the distribution laws for each error at 95% confidence. Independently, all theoretical errors are combined to obtain the total theoretical error at the same confidence. Finally, the confidence interval for the differences between theoretical and experimental values is obtained as a function of separation. This rigorous approach is applied to two recent experiments on the Casimir effect.Comment: 10 pages, iopart.cls is used, to appear in J. Phys. A (special issue: Proceedings of QFEXT05, Barcelona, Sept. 5-9, 2005

Experiment and theory in the Casimir effect

Casimir effect is the attractive force which acts between two plane parallel, closely spaced, uncharged, metallic plates in vacuum. This phenomenon was predicted theoretically in 1948 and reliably investigated experimentally only in recent years. In fact, the Casimir force is similar to the familiar van der Waals force in the case of relatively large separations when the relativistic effects come into play. We review the most important experiments on measuring the Casimir force by means of torsion pendulum, atomic force microscope and micromechanical torsional oscillator. Special attention is paid to the puzzle of the thermal Casimir force, i.e., to the apparent violation of the third law of thermodynamics when the Lifshitz theory of dispersion forces is applied to real metals. Thereafter we discuss the role of the Casimir force in nanosystems including the stiction phenomenon, actuators, and interaction of hydrogen atoms with carbon nanotubes. The applications of the Casimir effect for constraining predictions of extra-dimensional unification schemes and other physics beyond the standard model are also considered.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure

Improved tests of extra-dimensional physics and thermal quantum field theory from new Casimir force measurements

We report new constraints on extra-dimensional models and other physics beyond the Standard Model based on measurements of the Casimir force between two dissimilar metals for separations in the range 0.2--1.2 $\mu$m. The Casimir force between an Au-coated sphere and a Cu-coated plate of a microelectromechanical torsional oscillator was measured statically with an absolute error of 0.3 pN. In addition, the Casimir pressure between two parallel plates was determined dynamically with an absolute error of $\approx 0.6$ mPa. Within the limits of experimental and theoretical errors, the results are in agreement with a theory that takes into account the finite conductivity and roughness of the two metals. The level of agreement between experiment and theory was then used to set limits on the predictions of extra-dimensional physics and thermal quantum field theory. It is shown that two theoretical approaches to the thermal Casimir force which predict effects linear in temperture are ruled out by these experiments. Finally, constraints on Yukawa corrections to Newton's law of gravity are strengthened by more than an order of magnitude in the range 56 nm to 330 nm.Comment: Revtex 4, 35 pages, 14 figures in .gif format, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.