Chameleon fields: awaiting surprises for tests of gravity in space.
We present a novel scenario where a scalar field acquires a mass which depends on the local matter density: the field is massive on Earth, where the density is high, but is essentially free in the solar system, where the density is low. All existing tests of gravity are satisfied. We predict that near-future satellite experiments could measure an effective Newton's constant in space different from that on Earth, as well as violations of the equivalence principle stronger than currently allowed by laboratory experiments.
Khoury
Justin
J
ISCAP, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA.
Weltman
Amanda
A