Abstract
Title: "Laboratory tests on dark energy"
Abstract:
The physical nature of the dark energy in the universe is
completely unclear at the moment and many theoretical models co-exist.
Nevertheless, if dark energy is due to vacuum fluctuations then there
is a chance to probe some of its properties in laboratory experiments using
superconducting devices. I will decribe a new model of dark energy
where vacuum fluctuations of photons (or any other bosons) can
switch from a gravitationally active phase (contributing to the
cosmological constant Lambda) to a gravitationally inactive phase
(not contributing to Lambda) via a Ginzburg-Landau-like phase
transition [1]. This model allows for an interaction of dark energy with Cooper pairs in superconductors. I will describe new experiments
with Josephson junctions and rotating superconductors that are currently
being performed in this context.
[1] C. Beck and M.C. Mackey, astro-ph/0703364, to appear in
Int. J. Mod. Phys. D (2007)