Source mass and positioning system for an accurate measurement of G

We report on a system of well-characterized source masses and their precision positioning system for a measurement of the Newtonian gravitational constant G using atoms as probes. The masses are 24 cylinders of 50 mm nominal radius, 150.2 mm nominal height, and mass of about 21.5 kg, sintered starting from a mixture of 95.3% W, 3.2% Ni, and 1.5% Cu. Density homogeneity and cylindrical geometry have been carefully investigated. The positioning system independently moves two groups of 12 cylinders along the vertical direction by tens of centimeters with a reproducibility of a few microns. The whole system is compatible with a resolution Delta G/G < 10(-4). (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.