Observation of quantum free fall and the consistency with the equivalence principle
Fuente:
arXiv
Enregistré dans:
| Auteurs principaux: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2025
|
| Sujets: | |
| Accès en ligne: | |
| Tags: |
Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
|
| _version_ | 1866914183621115904 |
|---|---|
| author | Dobkowski, Or Trok, Barak Skakunenko, Peter Japha, Yonathan Groswasser, David Efremov, Maxim Marletto, Chiara Fuentes, Ivette Penrose, Roger Vedral, Vlatko Schleich, Wolfgang P. Folman, Ron |
| author_facet | Dobkowski, Or Trok, Barak Skakunenko, Peter Japha, Yonathan Groswasser, David Efremov, Maxim Marletto, Chiara Fuentes, Ivette Penrose, Roger Vedral, Vlatko Schleich, Wolfgang P. Folman, Ron |
| contents | The unification of quantum theory and the general theory of relativity - describing gravity, is one of the most important challenges in science. Einstein's general theory of relativity is based on the principle of equivalence, and has been confirmed to great accuracy for large bodies. However, in the quantum domain the equivalence principle has been predicted to take a unique form involving a gauge phase, equal to the quantum phase of a free-falling object. To measure this phase, we realize a novel cold-atom interferometer in which one wave-packet stays static in the laboratory frame while the other is in free fall. The observed relative-phase of the wave-packets confirms the predicted phase of a free-falling object, and shows that in our low energy regime, the equivalence principle may be applied to the quantum domain. Our observation constitutes a fundamental test of the interface between quantum theory and gravity. The new interferometer also opens the door for further probing of the latter interface, as well as to searches for new physics. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_14535 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Observation of quantum free fall and the consistency with the equivalence principle Dobkowski, Or Trok, Barak Skakunenko, Peter Japha, Yonathan Groswasser, David Efremov, Maxim Marletto, Chiara Fuentes, Ivette Penrose, Roger Vedral, Vlatko Schleich, Wolfgang P. Folman, Ron Quantum Physics Quantum Gases General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Physics - Theory Atomic Physics The unification of quantum theory and the general theory of relativity - describing gravity, is one of the most important challenges in science. Einstein's general theory of relativity is based on the principle of equivalence, and has been confirmed to great accuracy for large bodies. However, in the quantum domain the equivalence principle has been predicted to take a unique form involving a gauge phase, equal to the quantum phase of a free-falling object. To measure this phase, we realize a novel cold-atom interferometer in which one wave-packet stays static in the laboratory frame while the other is in free fall. The observed relative-phase of the wave-packets confirms the predicted phase of a free-falling object, and shows that in our low energy regime, the equivalence principle may be applied to the quantum domain. Our observation constitutes a fundamental test of the interface between quantum theory and gravity. The new interferometer also opens the door for further probing of the latter interface, as well as to searches for new physics. |
| title | Observation of quantum free fall and the consistency with the equivalence principle |
| topic | Quantum Physics Quantum Gases General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology High Energy Physics - Theory Atomic Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.14535 |