Possibility of observing energy decoherence due to quantum gravity
It has recently been proposed that quantum gravity might lead to the decoherence of superpositions in energy, corresponding to a discretization of time at the Planck scale. The proposal seems amenable to experimental verification with methods from quantum optics and atomic physics. However, we argue...
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Jezik: | English |
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American Physical Society
2004
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| _version_ | 1826257533194469376 |
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| author | Simon, C Jaksch, D |
| author_facet | Simon, C Jaksch, D |
| author_sort | Simon, C |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | It has recently been proposed that quantum gravity might lead to the decoherence of superpositions in energy, corresponding to a discretization of time at the Planck scale. The proposal seems amenable to experimental verification with methods from quantum optics and atomic physics. However, we argue that the predicted decoherence is unobservable in such experiments if it acts globally on the whole experimental setup. This is related to the unobservability of the global phase in interference. We then show how local energy decoherence, which acts separately on system and phase reference, could be detected with remarkable sensitivity and over a wide range of length scales by long-distance Ramsey interferometry with metastable atomic states. The sensitivity of the experiments can be further enhanced using multiatom entanglement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T18:19:43Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:05d9638a-c1b9-487d-8e0d-a8266b510b7b |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T18:19:43Z |
| publishDate | 2004 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:05d9638a-c1b9-487d-8e0d-a8266b510b7b2022-03-26T08:59:29ZPossibility of observing energy decoherence due to quantum gravityJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:05d9638a-c1b9-487d-8e0d-a8266b510b7bAtomic and laser physicsPhysicsEnglishOxford University Research Archive - ValetAmerican Physical Society2004Simon, CJaksch, DIt has recently been proposed that quantum gravity might lead to the decoherence of superpositions in energy, corresponding to a discretization of time at the Planck scale. The proposal seems amenable to experimental verification with methods from quantum optics and atomic physics. However, we argue that the predicted decoherence is unobservable in such experiments if it acts globally on the whole experimental setup. This is related to the unobservability of the global phase in interference. We then show how local energy decoherence, which acts separately on system and phase reference, could be detected with remarkable sensitivity and over a wide range of length scales by long-distance Ramsey interferometry with metastable atomic states. The sensitivity of the experiments can be further enhanced using multiatom entanglement. |
| spellingShingle | Atomic and laser physics Physics Simon, C Jaksch, D Possibility of observing energy decoherence due to quantum gravity |
| title | Possibility of observing energy decoherence due to quantum gravity |
| title_full | Possibility of observing energy decoherence due to quantum gravity |
| title_fullStr | Possibility of observing energy decoherence due to quantum gravity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Possibility of observing energy decoherence due to quantum gravity |
| title_short | Possibility of observing energy decoherence due to quantum gravity |
| title_sort | possibility of observing energy decoherence due to quantum gravity |
| topic | Atomic and laser physics Physics |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT simonc possibilityofobservingenergydecoherenceduetoquantumgravity AT jakschd possibilityofobservingenergydecoherenceduetoquantumgravity |