It is shown in three examples that future cosmological data may allow us to constrain fundamental physics in interesting ways. The first example illustrates that correlations in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background may allow us to put the strongest limit yet on the mass of a particle, the graviton, at a level of m . 10−30 eV. In the second example, it is shown that observations of the correlations of temperature anisotropies and polarization of the cosmic microwave background may reveal hints for the realization of a class of string theoretic inflationary models that go by the name of axion monodromy inflation, or, rule them out. If the evidence for inflation strengthens substantially, just the requirement that inflation occurred may be used to constrain models of fundamental physics. The third example shows that a class of string compactifications that are commonly used in the context of string phenomenology cannot support inflation and might thus be ruled out by cosmology. For completeness, a review of the physics underlying the cosmic microwave background radiation is included and some analytical results for the signatures of primordial gravitational waves in the cosmic microwave background are given. / text

Cette thèse présente deux tests d'invariance de Lorentz, réalisés dans le cadre de l'Extension du Modèle Standard (SME). Le premier a pour objectif une recherche de violation dans le secteur SME de la matière, grâce aux données d'une horloge à atomes froids de 133Cs. La recherche de variations de la fréquence de transition hyperfine de cet atome a permis de contraindre plusieurs coefficients SME liés aux protons et aux neutrons, avec une sensibilité améliorant jusqu'à 12 ordres de grandeur les limites actuelles sur ces derniers. Le second test a été réalisé grâce aux données de la mission spatiale MICROSCOPE, en vol depuis le 25 avril 2016, qui a pour but de tester le Principe d'Équivalence faible avec une précision de l’ordre de 10−15 sur le paramètre d'Eötvös. Nous avons utilisé les mesures MICROSCOPE pour contraindre des violations d'invariance de Lorentz dues à un couplage entre matière et gravitation, en recherchant des variations de l'accélération relative de deux masses d'épreuve selon l'orientation de l'axe sensible de l'instrument, un double accéléromètre électrostatique. Les premiers résultats, obtenus grâce à l'analyse de cinq sessions de mesures, ont déjà démontré une amélioration jusqu'à 4 ordres de grandeur des contraintes sur deux coefficients du secteur SME de la matière couplée à la gravitation. / This thesis presents two Lorentz invariance tests, performed within the Standard Model Extension framework (SME). The first one is a search for a violation in the matter sector of the SME, using data from a cold atom clock. The search for variations in the hyperfine transition frequency of 133Cs allowed us to constrain several SME coefficients related to protons and neutrons, with a sensitivity improving by up to 12 orders of magnitude the current best laboratory limits on these coefficients. The second test was carried out using the data from the MICROSCOPE space mission, in flight since April 2016, which is intended to test the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) with an accuracy of 10−15 on the Eötvös parameter. In this experiment, a coupling between matter and gravitation could lead to Lorentz violation signals and therefore to variations in relative acceleration of two test masses depending on the satellite orientation. The relative acceleration is measured by a differential electrostatic accelerometer. The first results, obtained through the analysis of five sessions, have already demonstrated an improvement of up to 4 orders of magnitude of the constraints on two coefficients of the SME sector of matter-gravity couplings.

Speculations in the signicance of retardation aects in fundamental physics, especiallythe Dirac equation, that Atiyah and Moore bring up in "A shifted view of fundamental physics" are summarized and reviewedin terms of basic undergraduate conceptions. Some remarks are further investigated and ashifted version of the Klein Gordon equation is derived.

La gravité d’Horava brise la symétrie de Lorentz avec l’introduction d’une foliation intrinsèque de l’espace-temps, définie par un champ scalaire, le khronon. Cette foliation privilégiée rend les solutions de trous noirs plus compliquées que celles de la relativité générale, due à l’apparition de nouveaux horizons: un horizon de matière pour les champs de matière; l’horizon de spin-0 pour les excitations scalaires du khronon, l’horizon de spin-2 pour les ondes gravitationnelles; finalement un horizon universel pour des modes instantanés apparaissant dans l’ultraviolet. On étudie des trous noirs en mouvement lent par rapport au référentiel privilégié. Ces solutions sont cruciales pour déterminer les susceptibilités des trous noirs et prédire leur émission d’ondes gravitationnelles, en particulier l’émission dipolaire des binaires de trous noirs. On trouve que pour des valeurs arbitraires des constantes de couplage, les trous noirs en mouvement lent souffrent de singularités de courbure à l’horizon universel. Des singularités à l’horizon de spin-0 sont aussi présentes mais peuvent être absorbées si l’on sacrifie les solutions plates à l’infini. Cependant, on a trouvé un sous-ensemble de l’espace de paramètres, de dimension un, où les trous noirs en mouvement lent sont partout réguliers et coincident avec ceux de la relativité générale. En particulier, ils n’émettent pas de radiation dipolaire. Remarquablement, ce sous-ensemble est favorisé par les contraintes récentes de l’événement GW170817 ainsi que les tests dans le système solaire. / Horava gravity breaks Lorentz symmetry by introducing a preferred spacetime foliation, which is defined by a timelike dynamical scalar field, the khronon. The presence of this preferred foliation makes black hole solutions more complicated than in General Relativity, with the appearance of multiple distinct event horizons: a matter horizon for matter fields; a spin-0 horizon for the scalar excitations of the khronon; a spin-2 horizon for tensorial gravitational waves; and even a universal horizon for instantaneously propagating modes appearing in the ultraviolet. We study how black hole solutions in Horava gravity change when the black hole is allowed to move with low velocity relative to the preferred foliation. These slowly moving solutions are a crucial ingredient to compute black hole sensitivities and predict gravitational wave emission (and particularly dipolar radiation) from the inspiral of binary black hole systems. We find that for generic values of the theory's three dimensionless coupling constants, slowly moving black holes present curvature singularities at the universal horizon. Singularities at the spin-0 horizon also arise unless one waives the requirement of asymptotic flatness at spatial infinity. Nevertheless, we find that in a one-dimensional subset of the parameter space of the theory's coupling constants, slowly moving black holes are regular everywhere, even though they coincide with the general relativistic ones (thus implying in particular the absence of dipolar gravitational radiation). Remarkably, this subset of the parameter space essentially coincides with the one selected by the recent constraints from GW170817 and by solar system tests.

<p>One of the fundamental predictions of quantum mechanics is the occurrence of random fluctuations which can induce a measurable force between neutral objects, known as the Casimir effect. Casimir effect has attracted a lot of interest in both theoretical and practical work since the first prediction in 1948 because it is the most accessible evidence of quantum electromagnetic fluctuations in vacuum. Besides, it has prospective applications for nanotechnology and for studying fundamental physical theories beyond the standard model. In this dissertation, we report the experimental and theoretical progress towards realizing Casimir-based devices and long sought-after vacuum friction. </p> <p><br></p> <p>First, we propose and experimentally realize the first Casimir diode system that can regulate energy transfer along one direction through quantum vacuum fluctuations. This is the first experimental demonstration of non-reciprocal energy transfer by Casimir effects. We develop a dual-cantilever vacuum system which can be used to measure the Casimir force at separations from 50 nm to 1000 nm.  Parametric coupling scheme is applied to the system to couple two cantilevers with different resonant frequencies by Casimir interaction. By controlling the system near the exceptional point, we are able to break the time reversal symmetry and observe the non-reciprocal energy transfer. </p> <p><br></p> <p>The description of the Casimir diode system is followed by an experimental demonstration of the Casimir transistor system where we achieve the first measurement of Casimir interaction between three macroscopic objects. Three cantilevers can be coupled through quantum vacuum fluctuations by the parametric coupling scheme. Moreover, we have realized the first three-terminal Casimir transistor system that can switch and amplify quantum vacuum mediated energy transfer. These two Casimir-based devices will have potential applications in sensing and information processing.  </p> <p><br></p> <p>Subsequently, the first observation of Casimir mediated non-contact friction is demonstrated experimentally. When two parallel surfaces are moving with a relative velocity, they will experience quantum vacuum friction force which tries to slow down the relative motion because of quantum vacuum fluctuations. The quantum vacuum friction comes from the exchange of virtual photons between two moving bodies.  We have designed a novel method to detect the Casimir force mediated non-contact friction force between two harmonic oscillators. The non-contact friction comes from the interaction of virtual photons and phonons. We have experimentally detected the effect of non-contact friction and successfully measured the friction force at different velocities. </p> <p><br></p> <p>In the latter part of this thesis, two theoretical proposals about detecting the Casimir torque and rotational quantum vacuum friction torque by a levitated optomechanical system are discussed. The optically levitated nanoparticle system is a good candidate for precision measurements because it can achieve an ultrahigh mechanical quality factor due to the well isolation from the thermal environment. The calculation of the Casimir torque on a levitated nanorod near a birefringent plate is demonstrated. The calculation of the rotational quantum vacuum friction torque on a rotating nanosphere near a plate is also presented. By comparing these small torques to the sensitivity of our levitation system, we show that it is feasible to detect the Casimir torque and the rotational quantum vacuum friction torque under realistic conditions in the near future. </p> <p><br></p>