The BIPM measurements of the Newtonian constant of gravitation, G

Abstract

This paper is a complement to the two short papers published in 2001 and 2013 in which we presented the results of the two BIPM determinations of the Newtonian constant of gravitation G. While this review contains no new results, it includes more detailed descriptions of certain key parameters that enter into the determination of G. Following a description of the overall method and the two versions of the experiment, we discuss the properties of the torsion strip, including the effects of anelasticity, then the electrostatic torque transducer, the source and test masses, dimensional metrology, angle measurement, the calculation and measurement of the moment of inertia, calculation of the torque, possible magnetic interactions and finally we discuss uncertainties and correlations in the derivation of a value for G.

Keywords: experimental gravitational pyhsics; gravitational constant; gravity; metrology.