Testing gravitational physics with superconducting gravimeters

Abstract

Superconducting gravimeters are the most sensitive instruments to measure surface gravity changes at low frequencies. Currently, about twenty five superconducting gravimeters are operating in the world and their global network has been developed. We investigate possible applications of the superconducting gravimeters to tests of gravitational physics. Previous experimental searches for spacial anisotropies in the gravitational constant G and for gravitational waves, performed with gravimeters in 1960's to 1970's, can be improved by applications of the current superconducting gravimeters. Also, we describe other proposed applications of testing the universality of free-fall and searching for composition-dependent dilatonic waves, and discuss future works necessary for these geophysical tests.