HSU Gravity Research Laboratory
Science A - Room 264
Lab Phone: x4981
Primary Research Areas
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Overview
After over 300 years of experimentation, the true nature and implications of gravity are not fully understood. Here at HSU, we are creating a laboratory to investigate the subtle properties of this familiar force of nature.
Gravity and quantum mechanics are fundamentally inconsistent in the current frameworks of the Standard Model and General Relativity. String theory promises a possible resolution of this issue at the cost of introducing new spatial dimensions (Arkani-Hamed, et al.). These dimensions will necessarily alter the Newtonian inverse-square law on distance scales similar to that of the size of these extra dimensions.
Dr. Hoyle's Gravity Research Presentation
In April of 2008, current HSU student Liam Furniss presented the lab's preliminary findings at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Salisbury, Maryland. Mr. Furniss' paper was accepted for publication in the annual conference's proceedings, which will be printed and available in September.
NCUR 2008 Paper (accepted version)
NCUR 2008 Presentation Slides
People
PI: C.D. Hoyle, x3235
Current Students:
Holly Edmundson
Liam Furniss
Nathan Rasmussen
Former Students:
Jacob Crummey
Edward Kemper
Support
We are grateful for financial support provided by the HSU College of Natural Resources and Sciences, HSU Office for Research, Graduate Studies, and International Programs, and Research Corporation grant CC6839.
Photos
Initial testing of our vacuum chamber,
custom-built by Atlas Technologies
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Close-up of our vacuum chamber
We've pumped it down to less than a microtorr! |
Optical readout system testing
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Our "home-made" laser diode driver circuit
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Our vacuum chamber inside our thermal isolation chamber, minus the floor
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Data aquisistion using National Instruments SCC-68s and LabView
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