Abstract

We report test results searching for an effect of electrostatic charge on weight. For conducting test objects of mass of order 1 kg, we found no effect on weight, for potentials ranging from 10 V to 200 kV, corresponding to charge states ranging from 10−9 to over 10−5 coulombs, and for both polarities, to within a measurement precision of 2 g. While such a result may not be unexpected, this is the first unipolar, high-voltage, meter-scale, static test for electro-gravitic effects reported in the literature. Our investigation was motivated by the search for possible coupling to a long-range scalar field that could surround the planet, yet go otherwise undetected. The large buoyancy force predicted within the classical Kaluza theory involving a long-range scalar field is falsified by our results, and this appears to be the first such experimental test of the classical Kaluza theory in the weak field regime, where it was otherwise thought identical with known physics. A parameterization is suggested to organize the variety of electro-gravitic experiment designs.

Highlights

  • This paper reports the results of a search for possible weight changes on electrically charged objects

  • The conventional Reissner–Nordstrom metric for a source of mass M and electric charge Q provides an intriguing effect: at a certain critical radius rc ∝ μ0 Q2 /M, where μ0 is the permeability of free space, the gravitational field vanishes due to an electrostatic effect working against gravity

  • A custom-fabricated Van de Graaff (VdG) electrostatic machine with a theoretical maximum voltage of approximately 900 kV was used in this experiment

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Summary

Introduction

This paper reports the results of a search for possible weight changes on electrically charged objects. The conventional Reissner–Nordstrom metric for a source of mass M and electric charge Q provides an intriguing effect: at a certain critical radius rc ∝ μ0 Q2 /M, where μ0 is the permeability of free space, the gravitational field vanishes due to an electrostatic effect working against gravity. A recent calculation shows that the classical Kaluza theory predicts a strong electro-gravitic buoyancy force for electrically-charged objects from the planetary scalar field [14]. There are clearly a variety of experiments besides our own that purport to test anomalous couplings between gravity and electromagnetism, so we would like to suggest a parameterization inspired by the Kaluza theory. We tabulate the dimensionless charge-to-mass ratio for each test, along with the weight measurements, to help contextualize the parts of electro-gravitic parameter space we have explored. Unipolar, electrically-charged sphere weight measurement (this work) clock in electrically-charged enclosure [16]

Kaluza Buoyancy Force Detail
Overview
High Voltage Supply
High Voltage Measurement
Moderate Voltage Supply
Weight Measurement
Experiment Configuration
Test Results
Conclusions
Full Text
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