Dephasing of a non-relativistic quantum particle due to a conformally fluctuating spacetime

DOI10.1088/0264-9381/26/14/145013MaRDI QIDQ3393271zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Paolo M. Bonifacio, J. T. Mendonça, R. Bingham, C. H.-T. Wang

Publication date 19 August 2009

Published in Classical and Quantum Gravity (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0903.1668

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Approximation procedures, weak fields in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C25) Methods of quantum field theory in general relativity and gravitational theory (83C47)

Abstract: We investigate the dephasing suffered by a nonrelativistic quantum particle within a conformally fluctuating spacetime geometry. Starting from a minimally coupled massive Klein-Gordon field, the low velocity limit yields an effective Schrodinger equation where the wave function couples to gravity through an effective nonlinear potential induced by the conformal fluctuations. The quantum evolution is studied through a Dyson expansion scheme up to second order. We show that only the nonlinear part of the potential can induce dephasing. This happens through an exponential decay of the off diagonal terms of the particle density matrix. The bath of conformal radiation is modeled in 3-dimensions and its statistical properties are described in general in terms of a power spectral density. The case of a Lorentz invariant spectral density, allowing to model vacuum fluctuations at a low energy domain, is investigated and a general formula describing the loss of coherence derived. This depends quadratically on the particle mass and on the inverse cube of a typical particle dependent cutoff scale. Finally, the possibilities for experimental verification are discussed. It is shown that current interferometry experiments cannot detect such an effect. However this conclusion may improve by using high mass entangled quantum states.

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