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The article ends with a stated goal of measuring the gravity of masses of the order of 10^-8 kg or about 10 micrograms. This reminded me of a calculation involv
by sriku 6y ago
The article ends with a stated goal of measuring the gravity of masses of the order of 10^-8 kg or about 10 micrograms. This reminded me of a calculation involving known fundamental constants - h, G, c - to derive dimensionless units for mass, length and time by setting these constants to unity. Setting c=1 is common among general relativists. When you do that for all three constants, you get (iirc) a unit of mass to be 10^-8kg = 1 and of time to be 10^-43secs = 1 and 10^-35m = 1 (only stating orders of magnitude). The latter two are Planck time and Planck length and the first is Planck mass ... and we may indeed expect quantum effects to manifest at that scale. I've also read on the occasion that 10micrograms is around the scale at which quantum superpositions may be sustainable before decoherence becomes unstoppable.
- Iwan-Zotow 6y ago>you get (iirc) a unit of mass to be 10^-8kg = 1 Sure, this is Plank mass, 2 \times 10^-8 kg. Length unit would be obviously PLank length, ditto for Plank time > 10micrograms is around the scale at which quantum superpositions may be sustainable before decoherence becomes unstoppable that doesn't make sense
- sandworm101 6y agoIf they can actually measure such tiny blips then they can build particle detectors that might answer all sorts of fundamental problems. Such detectors would be exponentially smaller (read cheaper) than those in LHC-class colliders. There are no double many Nobel prizes up for grabs to anyone who can measure the gravity of particle flux.
- qubex 6y ago> There are no double many Noble prizes There are no doubt many Noble prizes?