Last Update: October 2000

LAGO2

Collaboration:

Baldi Paolo, Campari Enrico, Casula Giuseppe, Focardi Sergio, Palmonari Federico

Bologna University & INFN, Bologna, Italy

Experiment site: Lago Brasimone(Italy)

1. Goal of the experiment

Test of the Newton’s law in the geophysical region of distances. The experiment consists in measuring gravity variations induced in a tunnel under a lake by changes of water’s level. The instrument used is a superconducting gravimeter, the most precise gravimeter existent at this moment.

2. Physics achievements during the year 2000

A calibration of the superconducting gravimeter performed by means an absolute gravimeter allowed a reanalysis of a preceding experiment. The Newton’s law results verified at the 0.1% level at distances of tenths of meters.

3. INFN contribution in terms of manpower and financial support

INFN participates to the collaboration with a group from the Bologna section. Other peoples belong to Bologna University and ING (National Institute of Geophysics)

I - 5 physicist involved

II - Invested about 0.1 GL in three years

4. Number of publications in refereed journals:1

5. Number of talks to conferences: 1

6. Number of undergraduate and doctoral thesis in the experiment

n 1 in progress

7. Leadership in the experiment

All peoples involved in the experiment belong to Bologna INFN, Bologna University and Bologna section of ING

8. Innovative Instruments

Control of the superconducting gravimeter which is run in the ENEA Brasimone laboratory, eighty km from Bologna, using Internet.

Project of changes to take place on the superconducting gravimeter in order to arrange the instrument for measuring the constant G of the Newton’s law at distances of 1 meter.

9. Competing experiment

no

10. Committee which has reviewed the experiment

The national group 2 INFN committee