VAN DER WAALS FORCES IN CURVED SPACE AS A QUANTUM TOOL TO TEST GENERAL RELATIVITY THEORY

Abstract

It has been known shortly after the introduction of the general relativity theory that the electrostatic Coulomb potential of a point charge supported in a gravitational field is not spherically symmetric and becomes warped in curved space. Under ordinary laboratory conditions, this effect is quite small and has never been directly observed. Surprisingly, this distortion causes the appearance of a hitherto unknown, topologically complex non-central van der Waals force whose detection is well within range of existing trapped atom interferometry techniques. This will allow for an unexpected experimental test of gravity theory by means of quantum-electro-dynamical interatomic forces.