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The weight of the vacuum
The Archimedes experiment originates from the Cosmological Constant Problem and is dedicated to measuring the discussed interaction of the quantum vacuum with the gravitational field.
The experiment is funded by INFN, has the participation of various Italian INFN Sections and Universities, including Cagliari, and is currently under construction at the Sos-Enattos site (Nuoro).
The measurement principle is based on the Casimir effect in the gravitational field and is essentially equivalent to the Archimedes principle in fluids. The measurement technique is a weight measurement (of vacuum Archimedes force) of the vacuum energy contained in a suitable Casimir cavity and measured by a cryogenic balance with extremely high sensitivity.
The scientific motivations for the experiment, the operating principle, the current status and the steps required to achieve the final result will be presented.
Prof. Umberto D'Alesio - umberto.dalesio@ca.infn.it
Dr. Nanako Kato - nanako.kato@dsf.unica.it