The Rise And Fall Of The Fifth Force: Discovery, Pursuit, And Justification In Modern Physics
by Allan Franklin /
2016 / English / PDF
8.9 MB Download
This book provides the reader with a detailed and captivating
account of the story where, for the first time, physicists ventured
into proposing a new force of nature beyond the four known ones -
the electromagnetic, weak and strong forces, and gravitation -
based entirely on the reanalysis of existing experimental data.
This book provides the reader with a detailed and captivating
account of the story where, for the first time, physicists ventured
into proposing a new force of nature beyond the four known ones -
the electromagnetic, weak and strong forces, and gravitation -
based entirely on the reanalysis of existing experimental data.
Back in 1986, Ephraim Fischbach, Sam Aronson, Carrick Talmadge
and their collaborators proposed a modification of Newton’s Law
of universal gravitation. Underlying this proposal were three
tantalizing pieces of evidence: 1) an energy dependence of the CP
(particle-antiparticle and reflection symmetry) parameters, 2)
differences between the measurements of G, the universal
gravitational constant, in laboratories and in mineshafts, and 3)
a reanalysis of the Eötvos experiment, which had previously been
used to show that the gravitational mass of an object and its
inertia mass were equal to approximately one part in a
billion. The reanalysis revealed that, contrary to Galileo’s
position, the force of gravity was in fact very slightly
different for different substances. The resulting Fifth Force
hypothesis included this composition dependence and also added a
small distance dependence to the inverse-square gravitational
force.
Back in 1986, Ephraim Fischbach, Sam Aronson, Carrick Talmadge
and their collaborators proposed a modification of Newton’s Law
of universal gravitation. Underlying this proposal were three
tantalizing pieces of evidence: 1) an energy dependence of the CP
(particle-antiparticle and reflection symmetry) parameters, 2)
differences between the measurements of G, the universal
gravitational constant, in laboratories and in mineshafts, and 3)
a reanalysis of the Eötvos experiment, which had previously been
used to show that the gravitational mass of an object and its
inertia mass were equal to approximately one part in a
billion. The reanalysis revealed that, contrary to Galileo’s
position, the force of gravity was in fact very slightly
different for different substances. The resulting Fifth Force
hypothesis included this composition dependence and also added a
small distance dependence to the inverse-square gravitational
force.
Over the next four years numerous experiments were performed to
test the hypothesis. By 1990 there was overwhelming evidence that
the Fifth Force, as initially proposed, did not exist. This book
discusses how the Fifth Force hypothesis came to be proposed and
how it went on to become a showcase of discovery, pursuit and
justification in modern physics, prior to its demise.
Over the next four years numerous experiments were performed to
test the hypothesis. By 1990 there was overwhelming evidence that
the Fifth Force, as initially proposed, did not exist. This book
discusses how the Fifth Force hypothesis came to be proposed and
how it went on to become a showcase of discovery, pursuit and
justification in modern physics, prior to its demise.
In this new and significantly expanded edition, the material from
the first edition is complemented by two essays, one containing
Fischbach’s personal reminiscences of the proposal, and a second
on the ongoing history and impact of the Fifth Force hypothesis
from 1990 to the present.
In this new and significantly expanded edition, the material from
the first edition is complemented by two essays, one containing
Fischbach’s personal reminiscences of the proposal, and a second
on the ongoing history and impact of the Fifth Force hypothesis
from 1990 to the present.