Related papers: Macroscopic quantum vacuum and microscopic gravita…
The Casimir effect is a macroscopic evidence of the quantum nature of the vacuum. On a ring, it leads to a finite size correction to the vacuum energy. In this work, we show that this vacuum's energy and pressure acquire additional, sizable…
In asymptotically Minkowski space-times, one finds a surprisingly rich interplay between geometry and physics in both the classical and quantum regimes. On the mathematical side it involves null geometry, infinite dimensional groups,…
Particle physics and gravitational waves provide complementary probes of the deep structure of the Universe. Gravitational waves from the mergers of neutron stars and black holes are sensitive to the structure of dense quark matter and to…
Higher-dimensional theories of the kind which may unify gravitation with particle physics can lead to significant modifications of general relativity. In five dimensions, the vacuum becomes non-standard, and the Weak Equivalence Principle…
We review (and extend) the analysis of general theories of all interactions (gravity included) where the mass scales are due to dimensional transmutation. Quantum consistency requires the presence of terms in the action with four…
We show how, by considering the cumulative effect of tiny quantum gravitational fluctuations over very large distances, it may be possible to: ($a$) reconcile nucleosynthesis bounds on the density parameter of the Universe with the…
Crucial observational tests of gravity physics are reviewed. Such tests are able to clarify the key question on the nature of gravitational interaction: is gravity the curvature of space? or is gravity a matter field in Minkowski flat space…
The Casimir effect, a key observable realization of vacuum fluctuations, is usually taught in graduate courses on quantum field theory. The growing importance of Casimir forces in microelectromechanical systems motivates this subject as a…
Casimir physics covers a wealth of phenomena where forces between macroscopic objects are induced by long range fluctuations of either classical or quantum origin. Fluctuations of the quantum electrodynamic vacuum epitomize this type of…
Most approaches towards a quantum theory of gravitation indicate the existence of a minimal length scale of the order of the Planck length. Quantum mechanical models incorporating such an intrinsic length scale call for a deformation of…
We study the interaction of two massive particles with a quantised gravitational field in its vacuum state using two different position observables: (i) a frame-dependent coordinate separation and (ii) a frame-independent geodesic…
This article concerns the fate of local Lorentz invariance in quantum gravity, particularly for approaches in which a discrete structure replaces continuum spacetime. Some features of standard quantum mechanics, presented in a…
In quantum cosmology, one applies quantum physics to the whole universe. While no unique version and no completely well-defined theory is available yet, the framework gives rise to interesting conceptual, mathematical and physical…
We outline a field theory on a multifractal spacetime. The measure in the action is characterized by a varying Hausdorff dimension and logarithmic oscillations governed by a fundamental physical length. A fine hierarchy of length scales…
If spacetime undergoes quantum fluctuations, an electromagnetic wavefront will acquire uncertainties in direction as well as phase as it propagates through spacetime. These uncertainties can show up in interferometric observations of…
Starting from the action function, we have derived a theoretical background that leads to the quantization of gravity and the deduction of a correlation between the gravitational and the inertial masses, which depends on the kinetic…
The dynamics of a gravitational wave propagating through a cosmic gauge field are dramatically different than in vacuum. We show that a gravitational wave acquires an effective mass, is birefringent, and its normal modes are a linear…
The coupling between a moving ground-state atom and the quantum electromagnetic field is at the origin of several intriguing phenomena ranging from the dynamical Casimir emission of photons to Sagnac-like geometric phase shifts in atom…
We analyze the weak-field limit of General Relativity with matter and its possible quantisations. This analysis aims towards a predictive quantum theory to provide a first-principles description of gravitational effects in macroscopic…
If the mechanism responsible for the smallness of the vacuum energy is consistent with local quantum field theory, general arguments suggest the existence of at least one unobserved scalar particle with Compton wavelength bounded from below…