Six laser beams cool and trap atoms before sending them into the interferometer ESA/G. Porter
A sensor made from extremely cold atoms can detect forces as small as a millionth septillionth of the gravitational force on an apple falling from a tree. It could help reveal the existence of completely new forces in the future.
All known forces stem from four fundamental ones – gravity, electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces. But attempts to explain mysteries of the universe, such as what dark matter is, often suggest that there may be an as-yet-unknown fifth force.
Such a force…
