Test for relativistic gravitational effects on charged particlesp

Abstract

Experimental results are presented which provide the first measurement of the effects of a gravitational field on charged particles, equivalent to the red shift for photons. Two Josephson-effect batteries (V\ensuremath{\simeq}300 \ensuremath{\mu}V) having a vertical separation of 7.2 cm are connected in opposition by superconducting wires. A voltage difference of 2.35\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}21}$ V is maintained between these batteries by means of the gravitational red shift. The emf around this loop is, however, measured to be less than 1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}22}$ V, consistent with the predicted invariance of the gravito-electrochemical potential along the wires.