Progress on the precision measurement of the Newtonian gravitational constant G

Abstract

The Newtonian gravitational constant G is the first fundamental physics constant introduced by human beings. It plays an important role in many fields, such as theoretical physics, astrophysics, and geophysics. Its precision measurement and related research is of great significance to the whole experimental physics. However, the measuring accuracy of G is the worst among all fundamental physical constants, which reflects the great complexity and difficulty in determining G. This paper briefly reviews the history of G measurement, and also introduces the current research progress in this field by a summary of the recent three precision measurements of G. At the end of the paper, the latest developments of the G measurement in the center of gravitational experiments at Huazhong University of Science and Technology are introduced.