Related papers: Particle Detectors, Cavities, and the Weak Equival…
The particle detector model consisting of a harmonic oscillator coupled to a scalar field in $1+1$ dimensions is investigated in the inertial case. The same approach is then used in the accelerating case. The absence of radiation from a…
Particle detector models allow to give an operational definition to the particle content of a given quantum state of a field theory. The commonly adopted Unruh-DeWitt type of detector is known to undergo temporary transitions to excited…
By a detector, one has in mind a point particle with internal energy levels, which when set in motion on a generic trajectory can get excited due to its interaction with a quantum field. Detectors have often been considered as a helpful…
The weak equivalence principle is studied in a space with noncommutativity of coordinates and noncommutativity of momenta. We find conditions on the parameters of noncommutativity which give the possibility to recover the equivalence…
The relationship between uniformly accelerated reference frames in flat spacetime and the uniform gravitational field is examined in a relativistic context. It is shown that, contrary to previous statements in the pages of this journal,…
We compare the behavior of a charged particle in a gravitational field and empty space. We resolve the apparent conflict between the Lorentz-Dirac equation and Larmor's formula of radiation by noting that the former describes an electron…
A quantum particle moving in a gravitational field may penetrate the classically forbidden region of the gravitational potential. This raises the question of whether the time of flight of a quantum particle in a gravitational field might…
There have been various claims that the Equivalence Principle, as originally formulated by Einstein, presents several difficulties when extended to the quantum domain, even in the regime of weak gravity. Here we point out that by following…
Can quantum-mechanical particles propagating on a fixed spacetime background be approximated as test bodies satisfying the weak equivalence principle? We ultimately answer the question in the negative but find that, when universality of…
Quantum weak measurement has attracted much interest recently [J. Dressel et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 86, 307 (2014)] because it could amplify some weak signals and provide a technique to observe nonclassical phenomena. Here, we apply this…
The assumed universality of the equivalence principle suggests that a particle in a gravitational field has identical physics to one in an accelerated frame. Yet, energy considerations prohibit radiation from a static particle in a…
We propose an experiment to test the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) with a test mass consisting of two entangled atoms of different species. In the proposed experiment, a coherent measurement of the differential gravity acceleration…
Vacuum fluctuations of quantum fields provide an unavoidable environment for any quantum system coupled to it. We study the interplay between boundary conditions and acceleration in determining decoherence of a two-level Unruh-DeWitt…
We consider two-level detectors, coupled to a quantum scalar field, moving inside cavities. We highlight some pathological resonant effects due to abrupt boundaries, and decide to describe the cavity by switching smoothly the interaction by…
There is increasing interest in discrete or "pixelated" spacetime models as a foundation for a satisfactory theory of quantum gravity. If spacetime possesses a cellular structure, there should be observable consequences: for example, the…
Free fall in a uniform gravitational field is revisited in the case of quantum states with and without classical analogue. The interplay between kinematics and dynamics in the evolution of a falling quantum test particle is discussed…
The next generation of rare-event searches, such as those aimed at determining the nature of particle dark matter or in measuring fundamental neutrino properties, will benefit from particle detectors with thresholds at the meV scale,…
The principle of equivalence postulating that an acceleration is indistinguishable from gravity by any experiment, is valid within families of particles having the same passive gravitational to inertial mass ratio $m_p/m_i$. Presently…
Investigation into the applicability of the equivalence principle in quantum mechanics has taken many forms, with varying conclusions. Here, a dynamical semi-classical description of a wave packet in terms of its center of mass and higher…
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…