Abstract:

The unprecedented precision of atom interferometry could soon lead to laboratory tests of general relativity to levels that will rival or exceed those reached by astrophysical observations. We propose such an experiment that will initially test the equivalence principle to 1 part in 1015 (300 times better than the current limit), and 1 part in 1017 in the future. It can also probe general relativistic effects, such as the non-linear three-graviton coupling, the gravity of an atom's kinetic energy, the falling of light and, potentially, the dragging of inertial frames. Further, in contrast to astrophysical observations, laboratory tests can isolate these effects via their different functional dependence on experimental variables.