{
  "abstract": "Laboratory determinations of the Newtonian gravitational constant $G$ disagree by more than their quoted uncertainties allow. We examine the sixteen determinations comprising the CODATA-2018 archive using a proportional covariance-scale model that retains the full reported covariance matrix. Because the 2026 NIST torsion-balance redetermination shares apparatus lineage with the BIPM Mark II balance, our primary historical fit excludes the BIPM-14 determination, giving $\\hatλ = 2.967$ for the remaining fifteen measurements. Evaluated against this historical model under the declared uniform covariance-scaling convention, the correlated four-configuration NIST result is highly unlikely under the archive's reported, unscaled covariance but is statistically unremarkable once the historically inferred extra dispersion is applied ($Q_λ= 4.840$; finite-sample $F$ tail $p = 0.382$); a mean-only scaling sensitivity leaves the vector discrepant. Retaining the complete archive also gives a comparable result. We further examine four matched free-minus-servo torque differences reported by NIST. They are consistent with a single common absolute torque offset across the four tested configurations, $\\widehat{ΔN} = 1.918 \\pm 0.215$ pN m, and poorly described by an equally simple fractional-scale alternative under the stated independent-Type-A treatment, with a chi-square contrast of $Δχ^{2} = 11.041$ between the two torque models. The paper provides a covariance audit of the historical archive, a lineage-qualified consistency check, and an experimentally testable diagnostic for dual-mode torsion balances, without proposing a revised value of $G$.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.04707",
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Vineet Kumar"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fv4g7vh27vmpk.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.04707",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "fv4g7vh27vmpk",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.04707",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "gr-qc"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.data-an"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.ins-det"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1804|Scientific Measurement and Uncertainty Evaluation"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220677216",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.04707",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-03",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fv4g7vh27vmpk.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:27:01Z",
      "native_id": "2610.04707",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.04707"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.ins-det",
      "subfield": "applied-instrumentation"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.data-an",
      "subfield": "computational"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:gr-qc",
      "subfield": "gravitation"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Covariance scaling and a dual-mode torque diagnostic in measurements of the gravitational constant",
  "title_text": "Covariance scaling and a dual-mode torque diagnostic in measurements of the gravitational constant",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:27:01Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fv4g7vh27vmpk",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}