Fundamental limit on angular measurements and rotations from quantum mechanics and general relativity

DOI10.1016/J.PHYSLETB.2021.136763zbMATH Open1483.81013arXiv2108.11990OpenAlexW3198333863MaRDI QIDQ824192FDOQ824192

Authors: Xavier Calmet, Stephen D. H. Hsu 

Publication date: 14 December 2021

Published in: Physics Letters B (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We show that the precision of an angular measurement or rotation (e.g., on the orientation of a qubit or spin state) is limited by fundamental constraints arising from quantum mechanics and general relativity (gravitational collapse). The limiting precision is $r^{-1}$ in Planck units, where $r$ is the physical extent of the (possibly macroscopic) device used to manipulate the spin state. This fundamental limitation means that spin states $S_1$ and $S_2$ cannot be experimentally distinguished from each other if they differ by a sufficiently small rotation. Experiments cannot exclude the possibility that the space of quantum state vectors (i.e., Hilbert space) is fundamentally discrete, rather than continuous. We discuss the implications for finitism: does physics require infinity or a continuum?

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.11990

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations (81P15) Quantum information, communication, networks (quantum-theoretic aspects) (81P45) Spinor and twistor methods applied to problems in quantum theory (81R25) Observational and experimental questions in relativity and gravitational theory (83B05) Uncertainty relations, also entropic (81S07) Quantum state tomography, quantum state discrimination (81P18)

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