Ultra-cold neutrons in qBounce experiments as laboratory for test of chameleon field theories and cosmic acceleration
Abstract
The accelerating expansion of the Universe, attributed to dark energy, has spurred interest in theories involving scalar fields such as chameleon field theories. These fields, which couple to matter with density-dependent effective mass, offer a promising explanation for cosmic acceleration. Experiments leveraging ultra-cold neutrons (UCNs) provide an innovative approach to testing these theories. The existence of a chameleon field, being responsible for the current phase of cosmic acceleration, is investigated by analysing a free fall of ultra-cold neutrons from the gap between two mirrors after their bouncing between these two mirrors. We analyse a deformation of the wave functions of the quantum gravitational states of ultra-cold neutrons, induced by a chameleon field, and find a new upper bound β≤6.5×108 on the chameleon-matter coupling constant β from the unitarity condition. This result refines previous estimates and highlights the potential of ultra-cold neutron experiments as laboratories for exploring scalar field theories and fundamental physics.
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