Experimental Study of the Machian Mass Fluctuation Effect Using a μN Thrust Balance

Already since 1990, James F. Woodward, professor of physics at the California State University, provided a set of equations showing that it should be possible, via Mach’s Principle, to change transiently the mass of a body. Several devices were developed, that suggest that the phenomenon is real. The main goal of the experimental campaign proposed here is to perform an independent test for the existence of machian mass fluctuations: we will study the behavior of a test device using a very sensitive thrust balance developed for field emission thrusters. The balance has a sub μN accuracy, which should prove the effect at least with a thrust‐to‐noise ratio of 100:1. This mass fluctuation effect, if proved to be genuine, would open the doors to a new kind of propellantless propulsion which could be directly applied to space exploration. Another aspect of our work is to explore also the possibility to achieve higher power efficiency and a more compact design, making then these devices attractive for practical ...