Modeling an experiment to measure the speed of gravity in short distances using vibrating masses: Frequency optimization

Carlos Alberto Fabricio Junior, Eduardo Sanchez, Carlos Frajuca, Fabio Silva Bortoli, Nadja Simão Magalhaes, Gustavo Neves Margarido, Davinson Mariano da Silva

Frequency optimization, Vibrating masses, Speed of gravity

In order to investigate the behavior of gravitational signals while travelling through a medium an experiment was designed, aimed at measuring the speed of these signals over short distances. The experiment contains 2 sapphire vibrating devices that emit a signal and one sapphire device that behave as a detector, which are suspended in vacuum and cooled down to 4.2 K. The amplitude of the detecting device is measured by an ultralow, phase-noise microwave signal that uses resonance in the whispering gallery modes. Since sapphire has a quite high mechanical Q, the detection band is expected to be small, thus reducing the detection sensitivity. A new shape for the detecting device is presented in this work, yielding a detection band of several hundred Hertz. With the aid of a Finite Element Program the normal mode frequencies of the detector are determined assuming the detector as a spring-mass system. The results show that the detection is achievable then the best operational frequency is determined.

Received: 08 Nov 2020; Received in revised form: 06 Dec 2020; Accepted: 15 Dec 2020; Available online: 04 Jan 2021

10.22161/ijaers.81.2