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:2405.15546 · Classical and Quantum Gravity

Quantum gravity inspired nonlocal quantum dynamics preserving the classical limit

Marzena Ciszak, Alessio Belenchia, A. Ortolan, Francesco Marino

Published Sep 4, 2024• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Several approaches to quantum gravity lead to nonlocal modifications of fields’ dynamics. This, in turn, can give rise to nonlocal modifications of quantum mechanics at non-relativistic energies. Here, we analyze the nonlocal Schrödinger evolution of a quantum harmonic oscillator in one such scenario, where the problem can be addressed without the use of perturbation theory. We demonstrate that although deviations from standard quantum predictions occur at low occupation numbers, where they could potentially be detected or constrained by high-precision experiments, the classical limits of quantum probability densities and free energy remain unaffected up to energies comparable with the nonlocality scale. These results provide an example of nonlocal quantum dynamics compatible with classical predictions, suggesting massive quantum objects as a promising avenue for testing some phenomenological aspects of quantum gravity.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6382/ad7774

Related papers

Probing quantum gravity effects with quantum mechanical oscillators

M. Bonaldi, A. Borrielli, Avishek Chowdhury +13 more

Abstract Phenomenological models aiming to join gravity and quantum mechanics often predict effects that are potentially measurable in refined low-energy experiments. For instance, modified commutation relations between position and momentum, that account for a minimal scale length, yield a dynamics that can be codified in additional Hamiltonian terms. When applied to the paradigmatic case of a mechanical oscillator, such terms, at the lowest order in the deformation parameter, introduce a weak intrinsic nonlinearity and, consequently, deviations from the classical trajectory. This point of view has stimulated several experimental proposals and realizations, leading to meaningful upper limits to the deformation parameter. All such experiments are based on classical mechanical oscillators, i.e., excited from a thermal state. We remark indeed that decoherence, that plays a major role in distinguishing the classical from the quantum behavior of (macroscopic) systems, is not usually included in phenomenological quantum gravity models. However, it would not be surprising if peculiar features that are predicted by considering the joined roles of gravity and quantum physics should manifest themselves just on purely quantum objects. On the basis of this consideration, we propose experiments aiming to observe possible quantum gravity effects on macroscopic mechanical oscillators that are preliminary prepared in a high purity state, and we report on the status of their realization. Graphical abstract

arXiv:2004.14371•The European Physical Journal D•Sep 1, 2020•18 citations

State swapping via semiclassical gravity

Praveer K. Gollapudi, M. Kemal Döner, André Großardt

The prediction of nonlocal phenomena is a key attribute of quantum mechanics that distinguishes it from classical theories. It was recently suggested that state swapping is one such effect that a fundamentally classical gravitational field cannot give rise to. The reasoning was that the phenomenology of classical fields is restricted to local operations and classical communication (LOCC), whereas swapping is a non-LOCC effect, so gravity must not be a classical channel if it can give rise to such a phenomenon. Here, we show that the Hamiltonian of semiclassical gravity results in an evolution of coherent states that is virtually indistinguishable from swapping them, both theoretically and experimentally. Our results indicate that drawing a definitive conclusion about the nature of gravity based solely on its ability to swap a pair of coherent states would be premature. We discuss the implications of these results regarding proposed experimental tests for the quantum nature of gravity and clarify some conceptual issues.

arXiv:2410.21009•Physical Review A•Jan 13, 2025•6 citations

Effective information bounds in modified quantum mechanics

S. Aghababaei, Hooman Moradpour, Salman Sajad Wani +3 more

Abstract A common feature of collapse models and an expected signature of the quantization of gravity at energies well below the Planck scale is the deviation from ordinary quantum-mechanical behavior. Here, we analyze the general consequences of such modifications from the point of view of quantum information theory and we anticipate applications to different quantum systems. We show that quantum systems undergo corrections to the quantum speed limit which, in turn, imply the modification of the Heisenberg limit for parameter estimation. Our results hold for a wide class of scenarios beyond ordinary quantum mechanics. For some nonlocal models inspired by quantum gravity, the bounds are found to oscillate in time, an effect that could be tested in future high-precision quantum experiments.

arXiv:2211.09227•The European Physical Journal C•Apr 18, 2024•2 citations

Quantum gravitational decoherence of a mechanical oscillator from spacetime fluctuations

Sandro Donadi, Matteo Fadel

We consider the scenario of a fluctuating spacetime due to a deformed commutation relation with a fluctuating deformation parameter or to a fluctuating metric tensor. By computing the resulting dynamics and averaging over these fluctuations, we find that a system experiences a decoherence in the momentum basis. We studied the predictions of the model for a free particle and an harmonic oscillator. Using experimental data taken from a mechanical oscillator prepared in quantum states of motion, we put a bound on the free parameters of the considered model. In addition, we comment on how these measurements can also provide bounds to other phenomenological quantum gravity models, such as the length scale for nonlocal dynamics.

arXiv:2411.13523•Physical review. D/Physical review. D.•Jan 13, 2025•6 citations

Nonlinear Schrödinger equation from generalized exact uncertainty principle

Łukasz Rudnicki

Abstract Inspired by the generalized uncertainty principle, which adds gravitational effects to the standard description of quantum uncertainty, we extend the exact uncertainty principle approach by Hall and Reginatto (2002 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 35 3289 ), and obtain a (quasi)nonlinear Schrödinger equation. This quantum evolution equation of unusual form, enjoys several desired properties like separation of non-interacting subsystems or plane-wave solutions for free particles. Starting with the harmonic oscillator example, we show that every solution of this equation respects the gravitationally induced minimal position uncertainty proportional to the Planck length. Quite surprisingly, our result successfully merges the core of classical physics with non-relativistic quantum mechanics in its extremal form. We predict that the commonly accepted phenomenon, namely a modification of a free-particle dispersion relation due to quantum gravity might not occur in reality.

arXiv:1602.05004•Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical•Aug 19, 2016•5 citations

Post-Newtonian Constraints on Semiclassical Gravity with Quantum Superpositions

Hollis Williams

Semiclassical gravity, in which a classical spacetime is sourced by the quantum expectation value of the stress-energy tensor, is a standard framework for describing the gravitational interaction of quantum matter. In the nonrelativistic limit this approach leads to the Schrödinger-Newton equation, which is often assumed to be consistent at least in the weak-field regime. In this work, we reexamine this assumption for spatial quantum superpositions of massive particles. We show that, when the quantum state is properly normalized, no modification of the Newtonian gravitational potential arises at leading order. However, at first post-Newtonian order the semiclassical coupling generically produces state-dependent contributions involving the mass density and the mass current of the superposition. These terms have a parametric scaling which is different from that of the corresponding relativistic corrections and which does not have Planck mass suppression. Our results therefore impose a strong post-Newtonian consistency constraint on deterministic semiclassical gravity, indicating that sourcing the metric solely by expectation values is insufficient to recover a consistent relativistic weak-field expansion.

gr-qcCross-listedarXiv:2512.18617•Dec 23, 2025
Abstract Several approaches to quantum gravity lead to nonlocal modifications of fields’ dynamics. This, in turn, can give rise to nonlocal modifications of quantum mechanics at non-relativistic energies. Here, we analyze the nonlocal Schrödinger evolution of a quantum harmonic oscillator in one such scenario, where the problem can be addressed without the use of perturbation theory. We demonstrate that although deviations from standard quantum predictions occur at low occupation numbers, where they could potentially be detected or constrained by high-precision experiments, the classical limits of quantum probability densities and free energy remain unaffected up to energies comparable with the nonlocality scale. These results provide an example of nonlocal quantum dynamics compatible with classical predictions, suggesting massive quantum objects as a promising avenue for testing some phenomenological aspects of quantum gravity.
Abstract Phenomenological models aiming to join gravity and quantum mechanics often predict effects that are potentially measurable in refined low-energy experiments. For instance, modified commutation relations between position and momentum, that account for a minimal scale length, yield a dynamics that can be codified in additional Hamiltonian terms. When applied to the paradigmatic case of a mechanical oscillator, such terms, at the lowest order in the deformation parameter, introduce a weak intrinsic nonlinearity and, consequently, deviations from the classical trajectory. This point of view has stimulated several experimental proposals and realizations, leading to meaningful upper limits to the deformation parameter. All such experiments are based on classical mechanical oscillators, i.e., excited from a thermal state. We remark indeed that decoherence, that plays a major role in distinguishing the classical from the quantum behavior of (macroscopic) systems, is not usually included in phenomenological quantum gravity models. However, it would not be surprising if peculiar features that are predicted by considering the joined roles of gravity and quantum physics should manifest themselves just on purely quantum objects. On the basis of this consideration, we propose experiments aiming to observe possible quantum gravity effects on macroscopic mechanical oscillators that are preliminary prepared in a high purity state, and we report on the status of their realization. Graphical abstract
The prediction of nonlocal phenomena is a key attribute of quantum mechanics that distinguishes it from classical theories. It was recently suggested that state swapping is one such effect that a fundamentally classical gravitational field cannot give rise to. The reasoning was that the phenomenology of classical fields is restricted to local operations and classical communication (LOCC), whereas swapping is a non-LOCC effect, so gravity must not be a classical channel if it can give rise to such a phenomenon. Here, we show that the Hamiltonian of semiclassical gravity results in an evolution of coherent states that is virtually indistinguishable from swapping them, both theoretically and experimentally. Our results indicate that drawing a definitive conclusion about the nature of gravity based solely on its ability to swap a pair of coherent states would be premature. We discuss the implications of these results regarding proposed experimental tests for the quantum nature of gravity and clarify some conceptual issues.
Abstract A common feature of collapse models and an expected signature of the quantization of gravity at energies well below the Planck scale is the deviation from ordinary quantum-mechanical behavior. Here, we analyze the general consequences of such modifications from the point of view of quantum information theory and we anticipate applications to different quantum systems. We show that quantum systems undergo corrections to the quantum speed limit which, in turn, imply the modification of the Heisenberg limit for parameter estimation. Our results hold for a wide class of scenarios beyond ordinary quantum mechanics. For some nonlocal models inspired by quantum gravity, the bounds are found to oscillate in time, an effect that could be tested in future high-precision quantum experiments.
We consider the scenario of a fluctuating spacetime due to a deformed commutation relation with a fluctuating deformation parameter or to a fluctuating metric tensor. By computing the resulting dynamics and averaging over these fluctuations, we find that a system experiences a decoherence in the momentum basis. We studied the predictions of the model for a free particle and an harmonic oscillator. Using experimental data taken from a mechanical oscillator prepared in quantum states of motion, we put a bound on the free parameters of the considered model. In addition, we comment on how these measurements can also provide bounds to other phenomenological quantum gravity models, such as the length scale for nonlocal dynamics.
Abstract Inspired by the generalized uncertainty principle, which adds gravitational effects to the standard description of quantum uncertainty, we extend the exact uncertainty principle approach by Hall and Reginatto (2002 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 35 3289 ), and obtain a (quasi)nonlinear Schrödinger equation. This quantum evolution equation of unusual form, enjoys several desired properties like separation of non-interacting subsystems or plane-wave solutions for free particles. Starting with the harmonic oscillator example, we show that every solution of this equation respects the gravitationally induced minimal position uncertainty proportional to the Planck length. Quite surprisingly, our result successfully merges the core of classical physics with non-relativistic quantum mechanics in its extremal form. We predict that the commonly accepted phenomenon, namely a modification of a free-particle dispersion relation due to quantum gravity might not occur in reality.
Semiclassical gravity, in which a classical spacetime is sourced by the quantum expectation value of the stress-energy tensor, is a standard framework for describing the gravitational interaction of quantum matter. In the nonrelativistic limit this approach leads to the Schrödinger-Newton equation, which is often assumed to be consistent at least in the weak-field regime. In this work, we reexamine this assumption for spatial quantum superpositions of massive particles. We show that, when the quantum state is properly normalized, no modification of the Newtonian gravitational potential arises at leading order. However, at first post-Newtonian order the semiclassical coupling generically produces state-dependent contributions involving the mass density and the mass current of the superposition. These terms have a parametric scaling which is different from that of the corresponding relativistic corrections and which does not have Planck mass suppression. Our results therefore impose a strong post-Newtonian consistency constraint on deterministic semiclassical gravity, indicating that sourcing the metric solely by expectation values is insufficient to recover a consistent relativistic weak-field expansion.