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Improved Determination of G Using Two Methods

Terry Quinn, Harold Parks, Clive Speake, and Richard Davis
Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 101102 – Published 5 September 2013; Erratum Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 039901 (2014)
Physics logo See Synopsis: An Uncertain Big G

Abstract

This Letter describes new work on the determination of the Newtonian constant of gravitation, G, carried out at the BIPM since publication of the first results in 2001. The apparatus has been completely rebuilt and extensive tests carried out on the key parameters needed to produce a new value for G. The basic principles of the experiment remain the same, namely a torsion balance suspended from a wide, thin Cu-Be strip with two modes of operation, free deflection (Cavendish) and electrostatic servo control. The result from the new work is: G=6.67545(18)×1011m3kg1s2 with a standard uncertainty of 27 ppm. This is 21 ppm below our 2001 result but 241 ppm above The CODATA 2010 value, which has an assigned uncertainty of 120 ppm. This confirms the discrepancy of our results with the CODATA value and highlights the wide divergence that now exists in recent values of G. The many changes made to the apparatus lead to the formal correlation between our two results being close to zero. Being statistically independent and statistically consistent, the two results taken together provide a unique contribution to determinations of G.

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  • Received 6 June 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.101102

© 2013 American Physical Society

Erratum

Erratum: Improved Determination of G Using Two Methods [Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 101102 (2013)]

Terry Quinn, Clive Speake, Harold Parks, and Richard Davis
Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 039901 (2014)

Synopsis

Key Image

An Uncertain Big G

Published 5 September 2013

Measured values of Newton’s constant of gravitation differ depending on the experiment, but researchers still aren’t sure why.

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Authors & Affiliations

Terry Quinn1,*, Harold Parks1,†, Clive Speake2, and Richard Davis1,‡

  • 1BIPM, Pavillon de Breteuil, 92312 Sèvres cedex, France
  • 2University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands B15 2TT, United Kingdom

  • *Emeritus Director BIPM. tjqfrs@gmail.com
  • Present address: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
  • Emeritus Principal Research Physicist BIPM.

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Issue

Vol. 111, Iss. 10 — 6 September 2013

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