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The Newtonian constant of gravitation, a constant too difficult to measure?

27 - 28 February 2014 09:00 - 17:00

Theo Murphy international scientific meeting organised by Dr Terry Quinn CBE FRS, Professor Clive Speake and Professor Jun Luo

Events details

The Newtonian constant of gravitation, G, is the only fundamental constant of physics for which the uncertainty given in successive CODATA evaluations has increased. Measurements made since 2000, using a variety of methods, now show a spread of values more than ten times their estimated uncertainties. This meeting explored possible reasons for this and generated some proposals for new measurements that might resolve the present impasse.

Biographies of the key contributors are available below and you can also download a programme (PDF). Recorded audio of the presentations can be accessed below, by clicking the '+' symbol next to each speaker.

Enquiries: Contact the events team

Organisers

  • Dr Terry Quinn CBE FRS, BIPM

    Biography

    Terry Quinn obtained a B. Sc in physics at the University of Southampton in 1956, then a D. Phil. at the University of Oxford in 1963. From 1962 to 1977 he was at the National Physical Laboratory working on temperature and later mass measurement. He moved to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) at Sèvres, France, in 1977 as Deputy Director becoming Director in 1988 until his retirement in 2003. While at the BIPM, in addition to being much involved with the organization of international metrology and the development of the proposal to redefine the units of the SI in terms of fundamental constants, he participated in work related to balances, fine suspensions and mass standards. Latterly he led work on the determination of G using a torsion strip balance, the final result being published in 2013. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2001.

  • Professor Clive Speake, University of Birmingham, UK

    "Clive Speake received his undergraduate degree at University of Birmingham in 1979. His PhD work was awarded at University of Cambridge in 1984. He became a researcher at Bureau International des Poids et Measures in 1984 where he worked on mass metrology with Terry Quinn.  After a year sabbatical at JILA, University of Colorado, where he worked on an experimental test of the inverse square law of gravity with James Faller, in 1989, he became a lecturer at University of Birmingham. He is now Professor of Experimental Physics and his current research interests include laboratory tests of gravity and development of high precision optical and cryogenic instrumentation with over 80 publications."

  • Dr Jun Luo, HUST Wuhan, China

    Jun Luo received the B.Sc and M.Sc in theoretical physics from Huazhong University of Science and Technolog (HUST) in 1982 and 1985, respectively. Then received the PhD degree in solid geophysics from Institute of Geodesy & Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, P.R.China, in 1999. He is presently the vice president of HUST, and also academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research fields is precision measurement physics, major in gravitational experiments, including measurement of Newtonian gravitational constant G, experimental test of Newton inverse square law, experimental test of weak equivalence principle, experimental detection of the upper limit on the photon mass, space inertial sensors and laser ranging, atomic interference gravimeter.