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Cambridge University Press eBooks

Quantum State Reduction via Gravity, and Possible Tests Using Bose–Einstein Condensates

Gao Shan

Published Apr 20, 2018• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

It has been proposed that because of a fundamental conflict between basic principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity, a superposition between stationary quantum states that differ in mass distribution would reduce spontaneously to one or the other in a timescale inversely proportional to the gravitational self-energy of this mass-distribution difference. Here, we present arguments in favour of this proposal and suggest a possible test using Bose-Einstein condensates.

DOI
10.1017/9781316995457.012

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It has been proposed that because of a fundamental conflict between basic principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity, a superposition between stationary quantum states that differ in mass distribution would reduce spontaneously to one or the other in a timescale inversely proportional to the gravitational self-energy of this mass-distribution difference. Here, we present arguments in favour of this proposal and suggest a possible test using Bose-Einstein condensates.
After providing an extensive overview of the conceptual elements – such as Einstein’s ‘hole argument ’ – that underpin Penrose’s proposal for gravitationally induced quantum state reduction, the proposal is constructively criticised. Penrose has suggested a mechanism for objective reduction of quantum states with postulated collapse time τ = ¯h/∆E, where ∆E is an ill-definedness in the gravitational self-energy stemming from the profound conflict between the principles of superposition and general covariance. Here it is argued that, even if Penrose’s overall conceptual scheme for the breakdown of quantum mechanics is unreservedly accepted, his formula for the collapse time of superpositions reduces to τ → ∞ (∆E → 0) in the strictly Newtonian regime, which is the domain of his proposed experiment to corroborate the effect. A suggestion is made to rectify this situation. In particular, recognising the cogency of Penrose’s reasoning in the domain of full ‘quantum gravity’, it is demonstrated that an appropriate experiment which could in principle corroborate his argued ‘macroscopic ’ breakdown of superpositions is not the one involving non-rotating mass distributions as he has suggested, but a Leggett-type SQUID or BEC
This paper argues that the case for “gravitizing” quantum theory is at least as strong as that for quantizing gravity. Accordingly, the principles of general relativity must influence, and actually change , the very formalism of quantum mechanics. Most particularly, an “Einsteinian”, rather than a “Newtonian” treatment of the gravitational field should be adopted, in a quantum system, in order that the principle of equivalence be fully respected. This leads to an expectation that quantum superpositions of states involving a significant mass displacement should have a finite lifetime, in accordance with a proposal previously put forward by Diósi and the author.
We analyze Penrose's ideas concerning the role of gravity in the quantum-mechanical state reduction from the perspective of analogue-gravity models. We first review a line of work which argues that it is not enough to find a satisfactory quantization scheme for gravity in the description of a matter-gravity system. Instead of that; the standard rules of quantum mechanics as they are actually applied to matter systems need to be modified when the gravitational interaction is relevant. Among these ideas we focus on Penrose's argument for the absence of macroscopic quantum superpositions. He argues that such phenomenon has its roots in the idiosyncratic aspects of gravity, which become relevant just when the system is macroscopic and hence able to generate a sufficiently strong gravitational field, and not in the environmental decoherence. We then present an analogue model consisting of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a double well potential, where it is possible to build states that would correspond to putative superpositions of spacetimes. Such configurations are unstable and the source of instability from a microscopic point of view can be related to the abscence of a well-defined causal structure in the effective geometric description. We also discuss some additional lessons that can be taken from these instabilities.
No experimental evidence exists, to date, whether or not the gravitational field must be quantised. Theoretical arguments in favour of quantisation are inconclusive. The most straightforward alternative to quantum gravity, a coupling between classical gravity and quantum matter according to the semi-classical Einstein equations, yields a nonlinear modification of the Schrödinger equation. Here, effects of this so-called Schrödinger-Newton equation are discussed, which allow for technologically feasible experimental tests.
The effect of noise induced by gravitons on a Bose-Einstein condensate has been explored in Sen and Gangopadhyay [Probing the quantum nature of gravity using a Bose-Einstein condensate, ]. In the previous paper, we investigated the effects of graviton while detecting a gravitational wave using a Bose-Einstein condensate. In this work, we shall explicitly calculate the decoherence due to the noise of gravitons for maximally entangled momentum states of the Bose-Einstein condensate. This decoherence happens due to bremsstrahlung from the Bose-Einstein condensates due to the effect of the noise induced by gravitons. It is observed that the maximally entangled state becomes entangled with the graviton state and it decays over time as a result of this gravitational bremsstrahlung. This new entangled state is termed as a Bose-Einstein supercondensate. Using this property of the Bose-Einstein condensate in a quantum gravity background, we propose an experimental test via the use of atom lasers (generated from the condensate) which would, in principle, help to detect gravitons in future generations of very advanced ultracold temperature experiments.