Higher Dimensional Operators or Large Extra Dimensions?

Abstract

We deform gravity with higher curvature terms in four dimensions and argue that the non-relativistic limit is of the same form as the non-relativistic limit of the theories with large extra dimensions. Therefore the experiments that perform sub-millimeter tests of inverse-square law cannot distinguish the effects of large extra dimensions from the effects of higher dimensional operators. In other words instead of detecting the presence of sub-millimeter dimensions; the experiments could be detecting the existence of massive modes of gravity with large masses ($\ge 10^{-3}$ eV)