Touboul Pierre, Métris Gilles, Rodrigues Manuel, André Yves, Baghi Quentin, Bergé Joël, Boulanger Damien, Bremer Stefanie, Carle Patrice, Chhun Ratana, Christophe Bruno, Cipolla Valerio, Damour Thibault, Danto Pascale, Dittus Hansjoerg, Fayet Pierre, Foulon Bernard, Gageant Claude, Guidotti Pierre-Yves, Hagedorn Daniel, Hardy Emilie, Huynh Phuong-Anh, Inchauspe Henri, Kayser Patrick, Lala Stéphanie, Lämmerzahl Claus, Lebat Vincent, Leseur Pierre, Liorzou Françoise, List Meike, Löffler Frank, Panet Isabelle, Pouilloux Benjamin, Prieur Pascal, Rebray Alexandre, Reynaud Serge, Rievers Benny, Robert Alain, Selig Hanns, Serron Laura, Sumner Timothy, Tanguy Nicolas, Visser Pieter
ONERA, chemin de la Hunière, BP 80100, F-91123 Palaiseau Cedex, France.
Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, IRD, Géoazur, 250 Avenue Albert Einstein, F-06560 Valbonne, France.
Phys Rev Lett. 2017 Dec 8;119(23):231101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.231101. Epub 2017 Dec 4.
According to the weak equivalence principle, all bodies should fall at the same rate in a gravitational field. The MICROSCOPE satellite, launched in April 2016, aims to test its validity at the 10^{-15} precision level, by measuring the force required to maintain two test masses (of titanium and platinum alloys) exactly in the same orbit. A nonvanishing result would correspond to a violation of the equivalence principle, or to the discovery of a new long-range force. Analysis of the first data gives δ(Ti,Pt)=[-1±9(stat)±9(syst)]×10^{-15} (1σ statistical uncertainty) for the titanium-platinum Eötvös parameter characterizing the relative difference in their free-fall accelerations.
根据弱等效原理，所有物体在引力场中应以相同的速率下落。2016年4月发射的“显微镜”卫星旨在通过测量维持两个测试质量（钛合金和铂合金）精确处于同一轨道所需的力，在10⁻¹⁵精度水平上检验其有效性。一个非零结果将对应于等效原理的违反，或者对应于一种新的长程力的发现。对首批数据的分析给出了用于表征钛和铂自由落体加速度相对差异的钛 - 铂厄缶参数δ(Ti,Pt)=[-1±9(统计)±9(系统)]×10⁻¹⁵（1σ统计不确定性） 。
