TEST THE EQUIVALENCE OF INERTIAL AND GRAVITATIONAL NEUTRON MASSES BY METHOD OF LAUE DIFFRACTION IN PERFECT CRYSTAL

Orateur : V.V. VORONIN & I.A. KUZNETSOV (Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute NRC «Kurchatov institute»)

We present a novel experiment aimed at verification of the equivalence of inertial and gravitational mass of the neutron. Idea of the experiment is similar with the well-known classical equivalence principle tests by Dicke, Krotkov, Roll and Braginsky, Panov. In our experimental scheme we use a neutron as the first test body and the planet Earth as another one. Our experiment is based on an essential magnification of an external affect on neutron diffracting by Laue in couple with additional enhancement factor which arises due to the increasing the time of neutron stay in crystal for the Bragg angles close to the right one. The total diffraction enhancement factor may be about 108 - 109 in compare with a free neutron. This enhancement effect is proposed to be utilized for measuring the force that deviates from zero if the ratio between neutron inertial and gravitational mass is not equal to unity. Possible statistical sensitivity to the external force acting on a diffracting neutron is on the level of - 10-17 ev / cm for the available silicon crystal and cold neutron beam line (PF1b ILL). In measuring of inertial to gravitational neutron mass ratio we plan to attain the accuracy . This is one order of magnitude superior to the best present-day value for the neutron.

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