Probing Sub-Micron Forces by Interferometry of Bose-Einstein Condensed Atoms

Abstract

We propose a technique, using interferometry of Bose-Einstein condensed alkali atoms, for the detection of sub-micron-range forces. It may extend present searches at 1 micron by 6 to 9 orders of magnitude, deep into the theoretically interesting regime of 1000 times gravity. We give several examples of both four-dimensional particles (moduli), as well as higher-dimensional particles -- vectors and scalars in a large bulk-- that could mediate forces accessible by this technique.

32 pages, 5 figures, RevTeX4, expanded discussion of interactions, references added, to appear in PRD