Researches create gravity in lab experiment

[Natorgator]

This is quite an interesting development:

Scientists funded by the European Space Agency have measured the gravitational equivalent of a magnetic field for the first time in a laboratory. Under certain special conditions the effect is much larger than expected from general relativity and could help physicists to make a significant step towards the long-sought-after quantum theory of gravity.

Just as a moving electrical charge creates a magnetic field, so a moving mass generates a gravitomagnetic field. According to Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, the effect is virtually negligible. However, Martin Tajmar, ARC Seibersdorf Research GmbH, Austria; Clovis de Matos, ESA-HQ, Paris; and colleagues have measured the effect in a laboratory.

Their experiment involves a ring of superconducting material rotating up to 6 500 times a minute. Superconductors are special materials that lose all electrical resistance at a certain temperature. Spinning superconductors produce a weak magnetic field, the so-called London moment. The new experiment tests a conjecture by Tajmar and de Matos that explains the difference between high-precision mass measurements of Cooper-pairs (the current carriers in superconductors) and their prediction via quantum theory. They have discovered that this anomaly could be explained by the appearance of a gravitomagnetic field in the spinning superconductor (This effect has been named the Gravitomagnetic London Moment by analogy with its magnetic counterpart).

Small acceleration sensors placed at different locations close to the spinning superconductor, which has to be accelerated for the effect to be noticeable, recorded an acceleration field outside the superconductor that appears to be produced by gravitomagnetism. "This experiment is the gravitational analogue of Faraday's electromagnetic induction experiment in 1831.

It demonstrates that a superconductive gyroscope is capable of generating a powerful gravitomagnetic field, and is therefore the gravitational counterpart of the magnetic coil. Depending on further confirmation, this effect could form the basis for a new technological domain, which would have numerous applications in space and other high-tech sectors" says de Matos. Although just 100 millionths of the acceleration due to the Earth’s gravitational field, the measured field is a surprising one hundred million trillion times larger than Einstein’s General Relativity predicts. Initially, the researchers were reluctant to believe their own results.

"We ran more than 250 experiments, improved the facility over 3 years and discussed the validity of the results for 8 months before making this announcement. Now we are confident about the measurement," says Tajmar, who performed the experiments and hopes that other physicists will conduct their own versions of the experiment in order to verify the findings and rule out a facility induced effect.

In parallel to the experimental evaluation of their conjecture, Tajmar and de Matos also looked for a more refined theoretical model of the Gravitomagnetic London Moment. They took their inspiration from superconductivity. The electromagnetic properties of superconductors are explained in quantum theory by assuming that force-carrying particles, known as photons, gain mass. By allowing force-carrying gravitational particles, known as the gravitons, to become heavier, they found that the unexpectedly large gravitomagnetic force could be modelled.

"If confirmed, this would be a major breakthrough," says Tajmar, "it opens up a new means of investigating general relativity and it consequences in the quantum world."

The results were presented at a one-day conference at ESA's European Space and Technology Research Centre (ESTEC), in the Netherlands, 21 March 2006. Two papers detailing the work are now being considered for publication. The papers can be accessed on-line at the Los Alamos pre-print server using the references: gr-qc/0603033 and gr-qc/0603032.

[Gustav32Vasa]

Cool, but

21 March 2006

old

[Zixinus]

We discovered the secret to contragrav, or mild equivalent. This is incredible.

[drachefly]

Someone please tell me that this is predicted by the Heim-Droscher theory.

And 'mild' is putting it, well, mild. 8 orders of magnitude is kinda significant.

[Duckie]

Isn't the rotating superconductor gravity experiment just Podkletnov's gravitic experiment regurgitated?

If so, it's good to finally see that it produces an effect, since nobody seems to have been able to repeat it before now.

[Surlethe]

Someone please tell me that this is predicted by the Heim-Droscher theory.

And 'mild' is putting it, well, mild. 8 orders of magnitude is kinda significant.

"Mild"? If this is experimental disproof of GR, well, the results are kind of earthshaking, aren't they?

[Guardsman Bass]

I'm curious as to why it hasn't gotten more attention. Is it still being peer-reviewed, or have their results not been duplicable? Or is it something else?

[drachefly]

And 'mild' is putting it, well, mild. 8 orders of magnitude is kinda significant.

"Mild"? If this is experimental disproof of GR, well, the results are kind of earthshaking, aren't they?

The original 'mild' was about its use as antigrav.
There isn't anything mild about the broader implications.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Someone please tell me that this is predicted by the Heim-Droscher theory.

And 'mild' is putting it, well, mild. 8 orders of magnitude is kinda significant.

It is in fact predicted to within the same order of magnitude of effect by Heim-Droscher theory.

It is currently undergoing attempts at replication at Berkeley and other physics labs. If they can repeat the experiments, it may completely reorient our view of the universe and lend powerful evidence that Heim-Droscher theory might be correct (and with it the possibility of using it to cheat our way up to around 54c). So we wait and see what the research of other groups has to say about it.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Actually, wait a second--very big news here: This link and this one contain information from a group at the physics department of Canterbury University in New Zealand, where the Tajmar et al effect has been successfully duplicated, with important new information that seems to lend further weight to Heim theory--and in fact Heim theory is put forward for the first time as a possible explanation for the observed effect.

[drachefly]

I just read the first paper you linked, and it says they were unable to replicate the effect.

Where's the mention of Heim? It's not in either of those two papers.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

I just read the first paper you linked, and it says they were unable to replicate the effect.

Where's the mention of Heim? It's not in either of those two papers.

I mistook the way those two articles were presented--only the first one is relevant to Canterbury University and the second one is an elaboration from Tajmar, I believe. Reading through both of them it seems that the Droscher theory elaboration on Heim is indirectly mentioned in the second article.

Also the Canterbury university experiments were not able to replicate precisely the same effect (it was about 20 times smaller in intensity and produced by an anti-clockwise rather than clockwise spin), but the results are still inconsistent with General Relativity predictions.

Which means I was a bit overenthusiastic but this is something which requires extensive additional research regardless.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Basically in both experiments Parity was violated, so that effect was replicated, but the other effects haven't been. Does that make sense?