Extracting electromagnetic signatures of spacetime fluctuations

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sharmila, B., Vermeulen, Sander M., Datta, Animesh
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Sharmila, B.
Vermeulen, Sander M.
Datta, Animesh
author_facet Sharmila, B.
Vermeulen, Sander M.
Datta, Animesh
contents We present a formalism to discern the effects of fluctuations of the spacetime metric on electromagnetic radiation. The formalism works via the measurement of electromagnetic field correlations, while allowing a clear assessment of the assumptions involved. As an application of the formalism, we present a model of spacetime fluctuations that appear as random fluctuations of the refractive index of the vacuum in single, and two co-located Michelson interferometers. We compare an interferometric signal predicted using this model to experimental data from the Holometer and aLIGO. We show that if the signal manifests at a frequency at which the interferometers are sensitive, the strength and scale of possible spacetime fluctuations can be constrained. The bounds, thus obtained, on the strength and scale of the spacetime fluctuations, are also shown to be more stringent than the bounds obtained previously using astronomical observation at optical frequencies. The formalism enables us to evaluate proposed experiments such as QUEST for constraining quantum spacetime fluctuations and to design new ones.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2306_17706
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Extracting electromagnetic signatures of spacetime fluctuations
Sharmila, B.
Vermeulen, Sander M.
Datta, Animesh
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Quantum Physics
We present a formalism to discern the effects of fluctuations of the spacetime metric on electromagnetic radiation. The formalism works via the measurement of electromagnetic field correlations, while allowing a clear assessment of the assumptions involved. As an application of the formalism, we present a model of spacetime fluctuations that appear as random fluctuations of the refractive index of the vacuum in single, and two co-located Michelson interferometers. We compare an interferometric signal predicted using this model to experimental data from the Holometer and aLIGO. We show that if the signal manifests at a frequency at which the interferometers are sensitive, the strength and scale of possible spacetime fluctuations can be constrained. The bounds, thus obtained, on the strength and scale of the spacetime fluctuations, are also shown to be more stringent than the bounds obtained previously using astronomical observation at optical frequencies. The formalism enables us to evaluate proposed experiments such as QUEST for constraining quantum spacetime fluctuations and to design new ones.
title Extracting electromagnetic signatures of spacetime fluctuations
topic General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.17706