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Spin Decoherence in a Gravitational Field

Hiroaki Terashima, Masahito Ueda

Published Jan 1, 2005• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We discuss a mechanism of spin decoherence in gravitation within the framework of general relativity. The spin state of a particle moving in a gravitational field is shown to decohere due to the curvature of spacetime. As an example, we analyze a particle going around a static spherically-symmetric object. PACS: 03.65.Ta, 04.20.-q, 03.67.-a

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We discuss a mechanism of spin decoherence in gravitation within the framework of general relativity. The spin state of a particle moving in a gravitational field is shown to decohere due to the curvature of spacetime. As an example, we analyze a particle going around a static spherically-symmetric object. PACS: 03.65.Ta, 04.20.-q, 03.67.-a
The effect of a classical gravitational field on the spin entanglement of a system of two spin- particles moving in the curved spacetime is discussed. The system is described by a two-particle Gaussian wave packet represented in the momentum space and both the acceleration of the system and the curvature of the spacetime produce a Wigner rotation acting on the wave packet as it moves along a path in the curved spacetime. By calculating the reduced density operator at a final point, we focus on the spin entanglement of the system. In a spherically symmetric and static gravitational field, for example a charged black hole, there can be particular paths on which the Wigner rotation is trivial and so the initial reduced density matrix remains intact. This causes the spin entanglement to be invariant during the motion. The spin entanglement descends to zero by increasing the angular velocity of the mean centroid of the system as well as increasing the proper time during which the centroid moves on its circular path around the center.
In this paper we use spinor transformations under local Lorentz transformations to investigate the curvature effect on the quantum-to-classical transition, described in terms of the decoherence process and of the quantum speed limit. We find that gravitational fields (introduced adopting the Schwarzschild and anti-de Sitter geometries) affect both the decoherence process and the quantum speed limit of a quantum particle with spin-1/2. In addition, as a tangible example, we study the effect of the Earth's gravitational field, characterized by the Rindler space-time, on the same particle. We find that the effect of the Earth's gravitational field on the decoherence process and quantum speed limit is very small, except when the mean speed of the quantum particle is comparable to the speed of light.
There has been considerable interest over the past years in investigating the role of gravity in quantum phenomenon such as entanglement and decoherence. In particular, gravitational time dilation is believed to decohere superpositions of center of mass of composite quantum systems. Since true effects of gravity are encoded in the curvature of spacetime, the universality of such decoherence must be characterized through components of Riemann tensor RabcdR_{abcd}Rabcd​, with a clear separation from non-inertial kinematic effects. We obtain the reduced density matrix of a composite system in a generic curved spacetime and express the decoherence time scale explicitly in terms of curvature. The decoherence in an inertial frame is caused by tidal acceleration. We also analyze the effects of self-gravity and show that the coupling of gravitational interaction with external curvature can not be captured by the replacement m→m+Hint/c2m \to m + H_{\rm int}/c^2m→m+Hint​/c2.