Eric George Adelberger (born June 26, 1938 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania)[1] is an American experimental nuclear physicist and gravitational metrologist.
In the University of Washington's Eöt-wash Group,[7] he has investigated the validity of Newton's law of gravitation down to small distances, smaller than the previously tested minimum distances in the mm range.
[11] They set new precision records in 2006 and 2008 for the Eötvös parameter with an accuracy that was not improved until the MICROSCOPE orbital satellite experiment in 2017.
"[12] In 2021 he was awarded, jointly with Blayne Heckel and Jens H. Gundlach, the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for “precision fundamental measurements that test our understanding of gravity, probe the nature of dark energy, and establish limits on couplings to dark matter.
[2] Eric and Audra Adelberger have often backpacked and kayaked together and are long-time supporters of The Wilderness Society and The Nature Conservancy.