New apparatus design for high-precision measurement of G with atom interferometry

Abstract: We propose a new scheme for an improved determination of the Newtonian gravitational constant G and evaluate it by numerical simulations. Cold atoms in free fall are probed by atom interferometry measurements to characterize the gravitational field generated by external source masses. Two source mass configurations having different geometries and using different materials are compared to identify an optimized experimental setup for the G measurement. The effects of the magnetic fields used to manipulate the atoms and to control the interferometer phase are also characterized. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]