We propose a double-slit photon interference experiment conducted across three gravitational conditions (1g, ~0g, 0.16g) to test whether gravitational field strength modulates wave function collapse behaviour. This proposal does not assume wave function collapse is ontologically real; it tests whether effective collapse behaviour—operationalised as interference fringe visibility and decoherence rate—varies with gravitational context. A secondary experiment introduces information accessibility as a variable, testing whether the causal availability of which-path information affects collapse statistics differently across gravitational conditions. Null results would place strong upper bounds on gravitationally induced collapse models, constraining Penrose-type theories. Positive results would provide the first direct experimental evidence for a gravitational component in quantum state reduction. Keywords: wave function collapse, quantum decoherence, gravity, Penrose objective reduction, measurement problem, double-slit experiment, microgravity
We propose a double-slit photon interference experiment conducted across three gravitational conditions (1g, ~0g, 0.16g) to test whether gravitational field strength modulates wave function collapse behaviour. This proposal does not assume wave function collapse is ontologically real; it tests whether effective collapse behaviour—operationalised as interference fringe visibility and decoherence rate—varies with gravitational context. A secondary experiment introduces information accessibility as a variable, testing whether the causal availability of which-path information affects collapse statistics differently across gravitational conditions. Null results would place strong upper bounds on gravitationally induced collapse models, constraining Penrose-type theories. Positive results would provide the first direct experimental evidence for a gravitational component in quantum state reduction. Keywords: wave function collapse, quantum decoherence, gravity, Penrose objective reduction, measurement problem, double-slit experiment, microgravity
The Schr\"odinger-Newton equation has frequently been studied as a nonlinear modification of the Schr\"odinger equation incorporating gravitational self-interaction. However, there is no evidence yet as to whether nature actually behaves this way. This work investigates a possible way to experimentally test gravitational self-interaction. The effect of self-gravity on the interference of massive particles is studied by numerically solving the Schr\"odinger-Newton equation for a particle passing through a double-slit. The results show that the presence of gravitational self-interaction has an effect on the fringe width of the interference that can be tested in matter-wave interferometry experiments. Notably, this approach can distinguish between gravitational self-interaction and environment-induced decoherence, as the latter does not affect the fringe width. This result will also provide a way to test if gravity requires to be quantized on the scale of ordinary quantum mechanics.
A consistent theory including gravitational effects in quantum mechanics has not been found. Although many different approaches have been proposed for theory of quantum gravity, several authors have suggested that gravity may be fundamentally classical. As there is no experimental evidence for a fundamentally quantum vs. fundamentally classical theory of gravity, it is hoped that investigating the consequences of semiclassical gravity, one may propose an experiment to distinguish between the quantum or classical nature of gravity. As opto- and electromechanical devices allow quantum limited measurement and control over massive, mechanical degrees of freedom, they are ideal systems to test violations of standard quantum mechanics arising from gravitational effects. After a brief introduction to the background theory and literature review, we begin by introducing a semiclassical model of gravity based on quantum measurement and control. We show under which conditions the theory behaves like a collapse model, and how a Newtonian potential is recovered in the multi particle case.We then go on to analyse our semiclassical model in two scenarios: firstly in a cosmological setting, and secondly by considering quantum clocks on the surface of the earth. In the cosmological description, we show that a violation of energy conservation, resulting from our model, can be reinterpreted as a dark energy fluid in the spacetime, suggesting that perhaps local violations of conservations of energy may be resolved in a cosmological framework. Secondly, we derive a minimum, gravitational dephasing rate for quantum clocks under the semiclassical model, which unsurprisingly, is is well below the resolution of current state of the art clocks. The next chapters diverge from analysing the gravitational model, and instead focus on novel methods of manipulating and measuring micromechanical devices, that may be used to experimentally probe the results of the semi-classical theory. Firstly we show that a sequence of coherently controlled pulses in an optomechanical system can be used to directly probe the momentum of an oscillator - opening up the possibility for direct detection of momentum diffusion, which is a consequence of the semiclassical gravity model. Secondly, we introduce an electro-mechanical device, and sequence of control operations, that may be understood as an interferometer for the wave function of a mechanical oscillator coupled to a qubit. We show how the resulting interference pattern can distinguish between unitary evolution, thermalisation/decoherence, and a purely classical description of the mechanical oscillator. We also show how the qubit-oscillator interaction can be used generate arbitrary wave functions of the mechanical oscillator, using only classical qubit driving.
Abstract We discuss effects of loss of coherence in low energy quantum systems caused by or related to gravitation, referred to as gravitational decoherence. These effects, resulting from random metric fluctuations, for instance, promise to be accessible by relatively inexpensive table-top experiments, way before the scales where true quantum gravity effects become important. Therefore, they can provide a first experimental view on gravity in the quantum regime. We will survey models of decoherence induced both by classical and quantum gravitational fluctuations; it will be manifest that a clear understanding of gravitational decoherence is still lacking. Next we will review models where quantum theory is modified, under the assumption that gravity causes the collapse of the wave functions, when systems are large enough. These models challenge the quantum-gravity interplay, and can be tested experimentally. In the last part we have a look at the state of the art of experimental research. We will review efforts aiming at more and more accurate measurements of gravity ( G and g ) and ideas for measuring conventional and unconventional gravity effects on nonrelativistic quantum systems.
This study explores quantum effects in weak gravitational fields with the aim of identifying feasible pathways towards tabletop tests of quantum gravity. Using numerical simulations of matter-wave interference for nanoparticles with masses between and kg, we investigate how environmental and fundamental decoherence mechanisms shape observable signatures. The results reveal a mass-dependent reduction in interference visibility, dropping from near unity at kg to below 0.2 at kg. Coherence times were found to exceed one second for particles lighter than 10^(-16) kg under cryogenic ultra-high-vacuum conditions, but decreased to sub-millisecond scales for kg particles at room temperature, confirming thermal radiation as the dominant source of decoherence. In parallel, collapse models such as CSL predict additional suppression of visibility for interrogation times of 0.1 s, particularly for masses above kg, enabling discrimination between environmental and intrinsic decoherence mechanisms. These findings underscore the necessity of maintaining ultra-high vacuum and cryogenic environments to detect gravitationally induced quantum phases, thereby providing a practical framework for near-future interferometry experiments. While the present work is limited to phenomenological models and simulated data, it establishes a roadmap for extending investigations to heavier mass regimes, incorporating realistic noise sources, and testing alternative collapse scenarios.
Wave function collapse models postulate a fundamental breakdown of the quantum superposition principle at the macroscale. Therefore, experimental tests of collapse models are also fundamental tests of quantum mechanics. Here, we compute the upper bounds on the collapse parameters, which can be inferred by the gravitational wave detectors LIGO, LISA Pathfinder, and AURIGA. We consider the most widely used collapse model, the continuous spontaneous localization (CSL) model. We show that these experiments exclude a huge portion of the CSL parameter space, the strongest bound being set by the recently launched space mission LISA Pathfinder. We also rule out a proposal for quantum-gravity-induced decoherence.
Abstract The possibility that gravity plays a role in the collapse of the quantum wave function has been considered in the literature, and it is of relevance not only because it would provide a solution to the measurement problem in quantum theory, but also because it would give a new and unexpected twist to the search for a unified theory of quantum and gravitational phenomena, possibly overcoming the current impasse. The Diósi–Penrose model is the most popular incarnation of this idea. It predicts a progressive breakdown of quantum superpositions when the mass of the system increases; as such, it is susceptible to experimental verification. Current experiments set a lower bound R 0 ≳ 4 Å for the free parameter of the model, excluding some versions of it. In this work we search for an upper bound, coming from the request that the collapse is effective enough to guarantee classicality at the macroscopic scale: we find out that not all macroscopic systems collapse effectively. If one relaxes this request, a reasonable (although to some degree arbitrary) bound is found to be: R 0 ≲ 10 6 Å. This will serve to better direct future experiments to further test the model.