Related papers: Gravitation at the mesoscopic scale
Experiments have recently been proposed testing whether quantum gravitational interactions generate entanglement between adjacent masses in position superposition states. We propose potentially less challenging experiments that test quantum…
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…
On the basis of the relativistic mass-energy concept we found that a proper mass of a test particle in a gravitational field depends on a potential energy, hence, a freely falling particle has a varying proper mass. Consequently, a…
The quantum analogue of Galileo's leaning tower experiment is revisited using wave packets evolving under the gravitational potential. We first calculate the position detection probabilities for particles projected upwards against gravity…
The weak equivalence principle of gravity is examined at the quantum level in two ways. First, the position detection probabilities of particles described by a non-Gaussian wave-packet projected upwards against gravity around the classical…
We explore the possibility of testing the quantum nature of the gravitational field with an ensemble of ultra-cold atoms. The use of many microscopic particles may circumvent some of the experimental obstacles encountered in recent…
Gravity gradient is known as a serious systematic effect in atomic tests of the universality of free fall, where the initial central position and velocity of atoms need to be exactly controlled. In this paper, we study quantum free fall…
We ask the question how the (weak) equivalence principle established in classical gravitational physics should be reformulated and interpreted for massive quantum objects that may also have internal degrees of freedom (dof). This inquiry is…
The search for a theory of quantum gravity is the most fundamental problem in all of theoretical physics, but there are as yet no experimental results at all to guide this endeavor. What seems to be needed is a pragmatic way to test if…
It has been speculated that gravity could be an emergent phenomenon, with classical general relativity as an effective, macroscopic theory, valid only for classical systems at large temporal and spatial scales. As in classical continuum…
We study the free-fall of a quantum particle in the context of noncommutative quantum mechanics (NCQM). Assuming noncommutativity of the canonical type between the coordinates of a two-dimensional configuration space, we consider a neutral…
Interplays between quantum physics and gravity have long inspired exciting studies, which reveal subtle connections between quantum laws and the general notion of curved spacetime. One important example is the uniqueness of free-falling…
It is argued that (a) In the quantum realm test-particle masses have non-trivial observability which induces a non-geometric element in gravity, (b) Any theory of quantum gravity, on fundamental grounds, must contain an element of…
Phenomenological models aiming to join gravity and quantum mechanics often predict effects that are potentially measurable in refined low-energy experiments. For instance, modified commutation relations between position and momentum, that…
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…
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…
Several examples are known where quantum gravity effects resolve the classical big bang singularity by a bounce. The most detailed analysis has probably occurred for loop quantum cosmology of isotropic models sourced by a free, massless…
The probability distribution of a time measurement $T_x$ at position $x$ can be inferred from the probability distribution of a position measurement $X_t$ at time $t$ as given by the Born rule [Time-of-arrival distributions for continuous…
We emphasize that a specific aspect of quantum gravity is the absence of a super-selection rule that prevents a linear superposition of different gravitational charges. As an immediate consequence, we obtain a tiny, but observable,…
We review the different aspects of the interaction of mesoscopic quantum systems with gravitational fields. We first discuss briefly the foundations of general relativity and quantum mechanics. Then, we consider the non-relativistic…