The Precise Determination of Mass through the Oscillations of a Very High-Q Electromechanical System

Abstract

The present paper is based upon the fact that if an object is part of a highly stable oscillating system, it is possible to obtain an extremely precise measure for its mass in terms of the energy trapped in the system, rather than through a ratio between force and acceleration, provided such trapped energy can be properly measured. The subject is timely since there is great interest in Metrology on the establishment of a new electronic standard for the kilogram. Our contribution to such effort includes both the proposal of an alternative definition for mass, as well as the description of a realistic experimental system in which this new definition might actually be applied. The setup consists of an oscillating type-II superconducting loop subjected to the gravity and magnetic fields. The system is shown to be able to reach a dynamic equilibrium by trapping energy up to the point it levitates against the surrounding magnetic and gravitational fields, behaving as an extremely high- Q spring-load system. The proposed energy-mass equation applied to the electromechanical oscillating system eventually produces a new experimental relation between mass and the Planck constant.