Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2001.06332 · The European Physical Journal C

A magneto-gravitational trap for studies of gravitational quantum states

Валерий Викторович Несвижевский, F. Nez, Sergey Vasiliev, E. Widmann, P. Crivelli, Serge Reynaud, Alexei Yu. Voronin

Published Jun 1, 2020• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Observation time is the key parameter for improving the precision of measurements of gravitational quantum states of particles levitating above a reflecting surface. We propose a new method of long confinement in such states of atoms, anti-atoms, neutrons and other particles possessing a magnetic moment. The earth gravitational field and a reflecting mirror confine particles in the vertical direction. The magnetic field originating from electric current passing through a vertical wire confines particles in the radial direction. Under appropriate conditions, motions along these two directions are decoupled to a high degree. We estimate characteristic parameters of the problem, and list possible systematic effects that limit storage times due to the coupling of the two motions.

DOI
10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-8088-2

Related papers

Neutrons and gravity

Валерий Викторович Несвижевский

Neutrons not only fall classically in the gravitational field of the Earth as potatoes and other normal objects do; at certain conditions, they reveal quantum behavior, or even form well­ defined gravitational quantum states. Due to the relative simplicity of quantum mechanical rules for solving this problem, we could predict analytically the motion of a neutron in a grav­ itational field in the vicinity of a reflecting surface. Such a bouncing neutron can have only certain, discrete values of energy. These extremely small energy values turn out to be very sensitive probes to the presence of even tiny extra interactions, in particular those between the neutron and the mirror. Moreover, several emerging fields of research profit from experi­ ence and knowledge gained in the recent experimental observation of gravitational quantum states of ultracold neutrons, and extend the developed methods to atoms and anti-atoms, to whispering-gallery effect and other domains, thus providing more and more application for the method. Quantum bouncing particles could play their role in quantum tests of the equivalence principle, in explorations of gravitational properties of antimatter, in searching for new funda­ mental short-range and other interactions beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, in surface and thin-layer physics, in chemistry, and so on. In this short note we mention results of a few previous years and project nearest developments ..

•Jan 1, 2015•0 citations

Quantum effects in a one-dimensional magnetic gravitational trap for ultracold neutrons

Aleksandr I Frank, Viktor G. Nosov

The problem of storing ultracold neutrons over a plane magnetic mirror in the presence of gravity is considered. For neutrons with a definite polarization, the sum of the magnetic and gravitational potentials can have a minimum and, hence, form a magnetic gravitational trap. For low energies of vertical motion, the neutron state in this well is quantized. The possibility of accomplishing the corresponding quantum gravitational experiment is analyzed.

Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters•Apr 1, 2004•7 citations

Study of the neutron quantum states in the Earth's gravitational field

Валерий Викторович Несвижевский, Hans G. Börner, T.A. Baranova +6 more

We studied the neutron quantum states in the potential well formed by the Earth's gravitational field and a horizontal mirror. The estimated characteristic sizes of the neutron wave functions in two lowest quantum states correspond to their expectations with an accuracy of ~25%. A spatial density distribution in a standing neutron wave above a mirror was measured for a set of a few lowest quantum states. A position-sensitive neutron detector with an extra high spatial resolution of 1-2 mu m was developed and tested for this particular task. Although this experiment was not designed or optimized to search for an additional short-range force, nevertheless it allowed us to slightly improve the published boundary in the nanometer range of characteristic distances. We studied systematical uncertainties in the chosen "flow-through" method as well as the feasibility to improve further the accuracy in this experiment

•May 25, 2005•0 citations

Investigation of the neutron quantum states in the Earth's gravitational field

Валерий Викторович Несвижевский, Alexander K. Petukhov, H.G. Borner +9 more

We studied the neutron quantum states in the potential well formed by the Earth's gravitational field and a horizontal mirror. The estimated characteristic sizes of the neutron wave functions in two lowest quantum states correspond to their expectations with an accuracy of ≈25 %. The spatial density distribution in a standing neutron wave above a mirror was measured for a set of a few lowest quantum states. A position-sensitive neutron detector with an extra high spatial resolution of 1 μm to 2 μm was developed and tested for this particular task. Although this experiment was not designed or optimized to search for an additional short-range force, nevertheless it allowed us to slightly improve the published boundary in the nanometer range of characteristic distances. We studied systematical uncertainties in the chosen "flow-through" method as well as the feasibility to improve further the accuracy in this experiment.

Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology•May 1, 2005•16 citations

Gravitational and matter-wave spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen at ultra-low energies

Sergey Vasiliev, Janne Ahokas, Jarno Järvinen +4 more

We propose experiments with atomic hydrogen gas at ultra-low temperatures T < 100 μ K when the thermal energy of atoms is comparable with the changes of their potential energy in the Earth gravity field. At these conditions we suggest implementing a gravitational spectroscopy for studies of quantum properties of ultra-cold atomic hydrogen and its interactions with matter and gravity, similar to experiments with ultra-cold neutrons (Nesvizhevsky et al. Nature 415 , 297 2002 ). A magnetic trap used for reaching the Bose-Einstein Condensation (Fried et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 , 3811 1998 ) can be used for cooling a large number of H atoms below 1 mK. Evaporative cooling over the trap barrier allows effective cooling of the vertical degree of freedom of the trapped atoms. Releasing these ultra-slow atoms from the trap onto the cold surface of superfluid helium will allow studies of quantum bounces and stationary gravitational states of H atoms in the potential well created by this surface and the field of Earth gravity. Experimental study of properties of gravitational quantum states of hydrogen and quantum reflection of ultracold hydrogen from surface would be of major importance for designing similar experiments with antihydrogen, which are currently prepared in CERN.

Hyperfine Interactions•Feb 4, 2019•8 citations

Quantum motion of a neutron in a waveguide in the gravitational field

Alexei Yu. Voronin, H. Abele, S. Baeßler +4 more

We study theoretically the quantum motion of a neutron in a horizontal waveguide in the gravitational field of the Earth. The waveguide in question is equipped with a mirror below and a rough surface absorber above. We show that such a system acts as a quantum filter, i.e. it effectively absorbs quantum states with sufficiently high transversal energy but transmits low-energy states. The states transmitted are determined mainly by the potential well formed by the gravitational field of the Earth and the mirror. The formalism developed for quantum motion in an absorbing waveguide is applied to the description of the recent experiment on the observation of the quantum states of neutrons in the Earth's gravitational field.

arXiv:quant-ph/0512129•Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields•Feb 23, 2006•69 citations
Abstract Observation time is the key parameter for improving the precision of measurements of gravitational quantum states of particles levitating above a reflecting surface. We propose a new method of long confinement in such states of atoms, anti-atoms, neutrons and other particles possessing a magnetic moment. The earth gravitational field and a reflecting mirror confine particles in the vertical direction. The magnetic field originating from electric current passing through a vertical wire confines particles in the radial direction. Under appropriate conditions, motions along these two directions are decoupled to a high degree. We estimate characteristic parameters of the problem, and list possible systematic effects that limit storage times due to the coupling of the two motions.
Neutrons not only fall classically in the gravitational field of the Earth as potatoes and other normal objects do; at certain conditions, they reveal quantum behavior, or even form well­ defined gravitational quantum states. Due to the relative simplicity of quantum mechanical rules for solving this problem, we could predict analytically the motion of a neutron in a grav­ itational field in the vicinity of a reflecting surface. Such a bouncing neutron can have only certain, discrete values of energy. These extremely small energy values turn out to be very sensitive probes to the presence of even tiny extra interactions, in particular those between the neutron and the mirror. Moreover, several emerging fields of research profit from experi­ ence and knowledge gained in the recent experimental observation of gravitational quantum states of ultracold neutrons, and extend the developed methods to atoms and anti-atoms, to whispering-gallery effect and other domains, thus providing more and more application for the method. Quantum bouncing particles could play their role in quantum tests of the equivalence principle, in explorations of gravitational properties of antimatter, in searching for new funda­ mental short-range and other interactions beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, in surface and thin-layer physics, in chemistry, and so on. In this short note we mention results of a few previous years and project nearest developments ..
We studied the neutron quantum states in the potential well formed by the Earth's gravitational field and a horizontal mirror. The estimated characteristic sizes of the neutron wave functions in two lowest quantum states correspond to their expectations with an accuracy of ~25%. A spatial density distribution in a standing neutron wave above a mirror was measured for a set of a few lowest quantum states. A position-sensitive neutron detector with an extra high spatial resolution of 1-2 mu m was developed and tested for this particular task. Although this experiment was not designed or optimized to search for an additional short-range force, nevertheless it allowed us to slightly improve the published boundary in the nanometer range of characteristic distances. We studied systematical uncertainties in the chosen "flow-through" method as well as the feasibility to improve further the accuracy in this experiment
We studied the neutron quantum states in the potential well formed by the Earth's gravitational field and a horizontal mirror. The estimated characteristic sizes of the neutron wave functions in two lowest quantum states correspond to their expectations with an accuracy of ≈25 %. The spatial density distribution in a standing neutron wave above a mirror was measured for a set of a few lowest quantum states. A position-sensitive neutron detector with an extra high spatial resolution of 1 μm to 2 μm was developed and tested for this particular task. Although this experiment was not designed or optimized to search for an additional short-range force, nevertheless it allowed us to slightly improve the published boundary in the nanometer range of characteristic distances. We studied systematical uncertainties in the chosen "flow-through" method as well as the feasibility to improve further the accuracy in this experiment.
We propose experiments with atomic hydrogen gas at ultra-low temperatures T < 100 μ K when the thermal energy of atoms is comparable with the changes of their potential energy in the Earth gravity field. At these conditions we suggest implementing a gravitational spectroscopy for studies of quantum properties of ultra-cold atomic hydrogen and its interactions with matter and gravity, similar to experiments with ultra-cold neutrons (Nesvizhevsky et al. Nature 415 , 297 2002 ). A magnetic trap used for reaching the Bose-Einstein Condensation (Fried et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 , 3811 1998 ) can be used for cooling a large number of H atoms below 1 mK. Evaporative cooling over the trap barrier allows effective cooling of the vertical degree of freedom of the trapped atoms. Releasing these ultra-slow atoms from the trap onto the cold surface of superfluid helium will allow studies of quantum bounces and stationary gravitational states of H atoms in the potential well created by this surface and the field of Earth gravity. Experimental study of properties of gravitational quantum states of hydrogen and quantum reflection of ultracold hydrogen from surface would be of major importance for designing similar experiments with antihydrogen, which are currently prepared in CERN.
We study theoretically the quantum motion of a neutron in a horizontal waveguide in the gravitational field of the Earth. The waveguide in question is equipped with a mirror below and a rough surface absorber above. We show that such a system acts as a quantum filter, i.e. it effectively absorbs quantum states with sufficiently high transversal energy but transmits low-energy states. The states transmitted are determined mainly by the potential well formed by the gravitational field of the Earth and the mirror. The formalism developed for quantum motion in an absorbing waveguide is applied to the description of the recent experiment on the observation of the quantum states of neutrons in the Earth's gravitational field.