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arXiv:1512.00755

Unruh effect and macroscopic quantum interference

Andrew M. Steane

Published Dec 2, 2015• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We investigate the influence of Unruh radiation on matter-wave interferometry experiments using neutral objects modeled as dielectric spheres. The Unruh effect leads to a loss of coherence through momentum diffusion. This is a fundamental source of decoherence that affects all objects having electromagnetic interactions. However, the effect is not large enough to prevent the observation of interference for objects of any size, even when the path separation is larger than the size of the object. When the acceleration in the interferometer arms is large, inertial tidal forces will disrupt the material integrity of the interfering objects before the Unruh decoherence of the centre of mass motion is sufficient to prevent observable interference.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1512.00755

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We investigate the influence of Unruh radiation on matter-wave interferometry experiments using neutral objects modeled as dielectric spheres. The Unruh effect leads to a loss of coherence through momentum diffusion. This is a fundamental source of decoherence that affects all objects having electromagnetic interactions. However, the effect is not large enough to prevent the observation of interference for objects of any size, even when the path separation is larger than the size of the object. When the acceleration in the interferometer arms is large, inertial tidal forces will disrupt the material integrity of the interfering objects before the Unruh decoherence of the centre of mass motion is sufficient to prevent observable interference.
The quite different behaviors exhibited by microscopic and macroscopic systems with respect to quantum interferences suggest that there may exist a naturally frontier between quantum and classical worlds. The value of the Planck mass (22μμμg) may lead to the idea of a connection between this borderline and intrinsic fluctuations of spacetime. We show that it is possible to obtain quantitative answers to these questions by studying the diffusion and decoherence mechanisms induced on quantum systems by gravitational waves generated at the galactic or cosmic scales. We prove that this universal fluctuating environment strongly affects quantum interferences on macroscopic systems, while leaving essentially untouched those on microscopic systems. We obtain the relevant parameters which, besides the ratio of the system's mass to Planck mass, characterize the diffusion constant and decoherence time. We discuss the feasibility of experiments aiming at observing these effects in the context of ongoing progress towards more and more sensitive matter-wave interferometry.
The Unruh effect remains a central topic in quantum field theory, although its direct experimental verification continues to be challenging. Recent efforts have therefore focused on indirect detection strategies in which the Unruh effect emerges through measurable physical processes. In this work, we extend a previously introduced detector model, originally formulated for a massless scalar field, to the electromagnetic field. We show that the decoherence decay rates differ between inertial and accelerated frames. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the characteristic exponential decay associated with the Unruh effect can be observed at lower accelerations than those considered in earlier studies.
The article examines the wave and corpuscular nature of quantum objects using the example of the Mach–Zehnder interferometer and discusses the possibility of the so-called “supertunnel effect”. It is shown how the behavior of a photon in an interferometer is determined not by switching between a wave and a particle, but by the preservation or loss of coherence of its quantum amplitude. Key mechanisms are analyzed: formation of superposition at the beam splitter, interference from coherent amplitude recombination, decoherence induced by path information leakage, and recovery of interference in quantum-eraser schemes. Analogous phenomena for electrons, neutrons, atoms and large molecules are discussed, with attention to dominant decoherence sources (collisions, thermal radiation, internal degrees of freedom) and the shrinking de Broglie wavelength of massive objects. The influence of mass, momentum and barrier parameters on tunneling probability is treated, and practical strategies to enhance tunneling (barrier engineering, resonant tunneling, collective effects, and reducing effective mass) are outlined. The conclusion is that quantum laws are universal: wave-like and particle-like manifestations depend on the experimental context and coherence preservation rather than an intrinsic conversion of the object. The concept of “supertunneling” is framed as potentially realizable only if decoherence and exponential suppression can be overcome, with suggested routes for experimental pursuit.
Matter-wave interferometry with nanoparticles will enable the development of quantum sensors capable of probing ultraweak fields with unprecedented applications for fundamental physics. The high sensitivity of such devices, however. makes them susceptible to several noise and decoherence sources and, as such, can operate only when sufficient isolation from the environment is achieved. It is thus imperative to model and characterize the interaction of nanoparticles with the environment and to estimate its deleterious effects. This paper will aim to study the decoherence of the matter-wave interferometer due to dipole-dipole interactions, which is one of the unavoidable channels for decoherence, even for a neutral micro-crystal. We will use the scattering model for decoherence, characterized by the differential cross section, in order to obtain simple expressions for the decoherence rate due to dipole-dipole interactions in the short- and long-wavelength limits that can be readily applied to estimate the available coherence time. We will conclude by applying the formulas we obtained to estimate the dipole-dipole decoherence rate for the quantum gravity-induced entanglement of masses protocol and discuss if the effects should be mitigated.
We study the loss of spatial coherence in the extended wave function of fullerenes due to collisions with background gases. From the gradual suppression of quantum interference with increasing gas pressure we are able to support quantitatively both the predictions of decoherence theory and our picture of the interaction process. We thus explore the practical limits of matter wave interferometry at finite gas pressures and estimate the required experimental vacuum conditions for interferometry with even larger objects.