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arXiv:1909.12543 · Physical Review A

Dirac equation on a square waveguide lattice with site-dependent coupling strengths and the gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effect

Christian Koke, Changsuk Noh, Dimitris G. Angelakis

Published Jul 27, 2020• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The main objective of this work is to present a theoretical proposal for an implementation of the ($2+1$)-dimensional Dirac equation in classical gravitational and electromagnetic backgrounds, in a two-dimensional waveguide array. For this, a framework for achieving site-dependent effective coupling constants in two-dimensional waveguide arrays is developed. Implementability of the Dirac equation under the proposed scheme puts minor demands on gauge and spacetime backgrounds; however, a wide array of physical spacetimes, such as all vacuum and static solutions, prove to be implementable. As an interesting and instructive example, we discuss a tabletop realization of the gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effect: After devising a thought experiment in which signatures of the gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effect could be detected, we briefly discuss how the analog of such a setting can in principle be implemented using the proposed waveguide setup.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.102.013514

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Semiclassical phases of charged spin-1/21/21/2 matter-wave interferometers in gravitational wave backgrounds
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Testing whether gravity is quantum or classical remains a cornerstone challenge in fundamental physics. We introduce a practical tabletop experiment to probe gravity's quantum nature via the gravitational Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect in atom interferometry. Our approach hinges on two pivotal insights: First, unlike electromagnetic AB effects where constant charge ensures gauge-invariant phases for closed paths, semiclassical gravity couples to the particle's total energy, rendering the AB phase gauge-dependent and unobservable when energies differ between paths due to environmental noise or controlled perturbations. Second, in quantum gravity—treating source, particle, and field as quantum—the total phase splits into a gauge-dependent particle contribution and a gauge-invariant source backreaction, yielding precisely half the nominal AB phase as observable. This halved phase discriminates quantum from classical gravity without requiring massive superpositions, aligning with existing technology. Remarkably, Overstreet et al.'s (Science 375, 226 (2022)) data already reveal a nonzero measured AB phase, providing the first experimental evidence for gravitational quantization.
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