Towards a Meissner Levitated Milligram Source of Gravity

While quantum mechanics and general relativity are both extremely successful at describing physics at their respective scales, they are not compatible at scales where both are relevant. To experimentally approach this regime in between one can either increase the scale of quantum mechanics and bring larger objects into a superposition, or decrease the scale of general relativity by measuring gravitational interaction between smaller and smaller masses. In the end, the goal is to combine both into a single experiment. In this thesis we present a new method to exert an oscillating gravitational force on a test particle using a milligram source mass. The setup consists of a Meissner levitated magnet trapped inside a cylindrical tube. With coils the magnet can be driven to oscillate inside the tube. The oscillating gravitational force from this magnet can be measured by another trapped Meissner levitated magnet.

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Towards a Meissner Levitated Milligram Source of Gravity