Dark energy detection at the Einstein-elevator

Abstract

Dark energy constitutes ~70% of the universe, which explains the observed accelerated expansion of the universe. While little is known about the nature of dark energy, it is conjectured that it is a new scalar field that interacts normal matter at the cosmological scale. Recently, cold atom experiments in laboratory have contributed significantly on the constraints of chameleon and symmetron parameters. These experiments are currently limited by the knowledge of the Newtonian gravity of the test masses, and eventually by the uncertainty of the gravitational constant G. In this talk, we will present a joint project between JPL and Leibniz University Hannover, in which atom interferometers will be implemented in the 4-second microgravity environment in the Einstein-Elevator facility at Hannover, Germany. We will illustrate the measurement concept for constraining dark energy models, and report the progress of the joint effort.