In-orbit test of the weak equivalence principle with atom interferometry

The weak equivalence principle (WEP) is a central pillar of general relativity. Its precise test with quantum systems in space offers a unique window onto new physics. Here, we report an in-orbit quantum test of the WEP. A dual-species ( 85 Rb/ 87 Rb) atom interferometer is realized aboard the China Space Station. Methods of platform motion suppression, fluorescence detection switching, and two-photon detuning switching are developed to eliminate phase noise and improve measurement accuracy. A test uncertainty of 2.8 × 10 −8 is obtained from 280 days of WEP test data, and a test result of (−2.7 ± 4.7) × 10 −7 is achieved after error estimation. This improves prior atom-interferometric WEP tests in microgravity by three orders of magnitude. This work paves the way for space-borne quantum inertial sensors and their application to future fundamental physics in space.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2026-08-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeh4502
Primary Topic
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

In-orbit test of the weak equivalence principle with atom interferometry

D. Gao, Runbing Li, Zongfeng Li, Huan-Yao Sun et al.
Science Advances
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
article

In-orbit test of the weak equivalence principle with atom interferometry

D. Gao, Runbing Li, Zongfeng Li, Huan-Yao Sun, Lei Qin, Weihao Xu, Dan-Fang Zhang, Hong-En Zhong, Jing-Ting Li, Yao Tian, Mei-zhen An, Lin Zhou, Qun-Feng Chen, Xiao Li, Xi-He Yu, Xi Chen, Jia-Yi Wei, Yi-Bo Wang, Jin Wang, Biao Tang, Xiao-Xiao Guo, Jia-Qi Zhong, Shu-Quan Wang, Ming-Sheng Zhan, Wen-Zhang Wang
article en

Abstract

The weak equivalence principle (WEP) is a central pillar of general relativity. Its precise test with quantum systems in space offers a unique window onto new physics. Here, we report an in-orbit quantum test of the WEP. A dual-species ( 85 Rb/ 87 Rb) atom interferometer is realized aboard the China Space Station. Methods of platform motion suppression, fluorescence detection switching, and two-photon detuning switching are developed to eliminate phase noise and improve measurement accuracy. A test uncertainty of 2.8 × 10 −8 is obtained from 280 days of WEP test data, and a test result of (−2.7 ± 4.7) × 10 −7 is achieved after error estimation. This improves prior atom-interferometric WEP tests in microgravity by three orders of magnitude. This work paves the way for space-borne quantum inertial sensors and their application to future fundamental physics in space.

Science AdvancesVol. 12(35)
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Hefei University (CN), Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization (CN), Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 71%
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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