I develop a fully self-consistent open quantum sys-tems framework demonstrating that vacuum fluc-tuations of a light scalar field induce universal,temperature-independent decoherence in mesoscopicquantum systems. Starting from a microscopicsystem-field Hamiltonian, I derive a Lindblad mas-ter equation under physically justified Born-Markovapproximations. Ultraviolet regularity is enforcedvia an exponential cutoff Λc representing the fi-nite spectral response of the physical system, yield-ing a regularized vacuum spectral density SΦ(ω) =(ω/2π2)e−ω/Λc. The resulting decoherence ratescales quadratically with the system’s characteristicenergy, γ ∝ g2ω2, a prediction that is parameter-free when expressed as a ratio across different systemfrequencies. I propose a concrete experimental proto-col spanning two platforms—superconducting qubitsand graphene-based mesoscopic devices—and iden-tify a triple smoking-gun signature (quadratic fre-quency scaling, quadratic Fermi-energy scaling, andtemperature independence) that no standard noisemodel can simultaneously satisfy. Simulated exper-imental signatures are presented, demonstrating themeasurability of the predicted effects in current andnear-term devices
I develop a fully self-consistent open quantum sys-tems framework demonstrating that vacuum fluc-tuations of a light scalar field induce universal,temperature-independent decoherence in mesoscopicquantum systems. Starting from a microscopicsystem-field Hamiltonian, I derive a Lindblad mas-ter equation under physically justified Born-Markovapproximations. Ultraviolet regularity is enforcedvia an exponential cutoff Λc representing the fi-nite spectral response of the physical system, yield-ing a regularized vacuum spectral density SΦ(ω) =(ω/2π2)e−ω/Λc. The resulting decoherence ratescales quadratically with the system’s characteristicenergy, γ ∝ g2ω2, a prediction that is parameter-free when expressed as a ratio across different systemfrequencies. I propose a concrete experimental proto-col spanning two platforms—superconducting qubitsand graphene-based mesoscopic devices—and iden-tify a triple smoking-gun signature (quadratic fre-quency scaling, quadratic Fermi-energy scaling, andtemperature independence) that no standard noisemodel can simultaneously satisfy. Simulated exper-imental signatures are presented, demonstrating themeasurability of the predicted effects in current andnear-term devices
I present a mathematically consistent framework in which a single light scalar field Φ generatescorrelated signatures across quantum tunneling, spin-dependent interactions, and decoherence. Alleffects are derived from a single effective Lagrangian without ad hoc insertions. The frameworkuses a dimensionless coupling g to a density operator OˆS (mass dimension 3), ensuring dimensionalconsistency across all three regimes. The effective 1D tunneling potential is obtained by explicittransverse projection of the 3D interaction, eliminating phenomenological reduction factors. Mean-field validity is justified in the high-density regime where quantum fluctuations are suppressed by1/√nmV . In tunneling systems, the force is derived from the potential gradient F = −R|ψ|2∂xV dx,independent of stress-tensor ambiguities. To leading order in g and in the absence of operator mixing,both ∆P/P0 and the decoherence rate γ scale as g2, establishing ∆γ/γ = ∆(P/I)/(P/I) as a directtest of the shared coupling structure. Renormalization group flow connects the couplings throughδg/g = β0 δc/c with β0 = 2/3 in a minimal UV completion and β0 = O(1) generically. Eliminatingparameters yields the falsifiable prediction ∆(P/I)/(P/I) = β0 · ∆(c2/Λ2)/(c2/Λ2) = ∆γ/γ. Ipresent a multi-platform protocol with NEMS, spin sensors, and superconducting qubits, usingnuclear spin polarization as the common modulation. The key experimental observable is notthe absolute signal magnitude but the cross-regime correlation structure, which is robust againstindependent backgrounds. A deviation from the predicted scaling would directly falsify the unifiedframework.
We develop a complete theoretical framework for open quantum systems coupled to scale-invariant environments. We show that such environments are universally described by unparticle baths characterized by a single scaling dimension dU. This work provides the proof of the uniqueness theorem, the formalism of the resulting non-Markovian dynamics, and applications to several physical systems.
From the uniqueness theorem, we derive the non-Markovian memory kernels, the exact noise kernel including vacuum and thermal contributions, and a fractional generalization of the Caldeira-Leggett master equation for arbitrary dU. The scaling dimension governs a rich phase structure, including a thermalization transition at dU=3/2, the Ohmic boundary at dU=2, and a decoherence transition at dU=5/2 in the thermal regime, beyond which long-time quantum coherence is protected.
Three realizations are studied. For the quantum Ising model at criticality, coupling to the energy operator in (1+1) dimensions gives dU=3/2, producing 1/f noise, while the (2+1)D case yields dU≈1.413 from the conformal bootstrap. In inflationary cosmology, massless scalar and graviton baths in de Sitter spacetime give dU=2, predicting linear decoherence growth consistent with the quantum-to-classical transition. For high-energy astrophysical neutrinos, the decoherence rate Γdecoh∝B(E,TU)L5−2dU provides an observable signature of the scaling dimension.
We also compare the framework with Caldeira-Leggett and Lindblad approaches, analyze the validity regimes, and discuss experimental implications for trapped-ion simulators, neutrino telescopes, and superconducting qubits.
Levitated optomechanical systems are approaching the regime where macroscopic quantum superpositions become experimentally accessible. A central question is whether gravity itself, through its unavoidable coupling to material quantum fluctuations, imposes a fundamental decoherence channel on such superpositions. Starting from two independently well-tested physical elements—the quantum vacuum fluctuations of the material energy-momentum tensor, and the weak-field linear response kernel of classical general relativity—we derive a structurally rigid scaling law for the gravitational decoherence rate: \Gamma \propto G M^2 d^2 / (\hbar L^3) \cdot \Phi(l_*/L). The exponents and dependence on mass M, superposition separation d, and object size L are fixed entirely by dimensional analysis and the semiclassical field equations, without tunable parameters. The overall amplitude is set by a single phenomenological input—the ultraviolet cutoff scale l_* of the effective geometric noise. Identifying l_* with the Planck length yields \Phi \sim \mathcal{O}(1) and a decoherence rate of order 1\,\text{Hz} for nanoparticles with M \sim 10^{-14}\,\text{kg}, d \sim 10^{-7}\,\text{m}, and L \sim 10^{-6}\,\text{m}, placing the prediction within the foreseeable sensitivity window of next-generation levitated optomechanical setups. We provide explicit falsification conditions, a three-path staged verification strategy that does not require simultaneous optimisation of all parameters, and operational signatures—including a distinctive pure-dephasing channel without energy relaxation—that distinguish this mechanism from environmental noise, zero-temperature electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations, and the Diósi-Penrose model.
We present a general open-quantum-system framework to model decoherence induced by stochastic Planck-scale fluctuations of spacetime, focusing on the κ -Minkowski noncommutative geometry as a representative quantum gravity scenario. Treating the deformation parameter as Gaussian white noise, we derive a Lindblad-type master equation applicable to arbitrary quantum systems and obtain a distinctive inverse-energy scaling of the decoherence rate, Γ ∝ E − 4 . As an illustrative example, we analyze a three-level system motivated by neutrino flavor oscillations and derive closed-form expressions for survival and transition probabilities with spacetime-induced damping. The E − 4 scaling contrasts sharply with the positive power laws often invoked in quantum gravity phenomenology and predicts negligible decoherence for high-energy neutrinos—consistent with IceCube observations—while implying that the strongest effects arise in the extreme low-energy regime. In this context, the sub-eV-scale energies characteristic of the cosmic neutrino background provide a natural infrared benchmark for illustrating the enhanced sensitivity to quantum spacetime fluctuations. Our results establish a unified formalism connecting quantum information methods, open-system dynamics, and quantum spacetime phenomenology, thereby offering a framework for exploring potential signatures of Planck-scale physics in future low-energy neutrino studies.
We present a general open-quantum-systems framework to model decoherence induced by stochastic Planck-scale fluctuations of spacetime, focusing on the kappa-Minkowski noncommutative geometry as a representative quantum-gravity scenario. Treating the deformation parameter as Gaussian white noise, we derive a Lindblad-type master equation applicable to arbitrary quantum systems and obtain a distinctive inverse-energy scaling of the decoherence rate, Gamma proportional to E^{-4}. As an illustrative example, we analyze a three-level system motivated by neutrino flavor oscillations and derive closed-form expressions for survival and transition probabilities with spacetime-induced damping. The E^{-4} scaling contrasts sharply with the positive power laws often invoked in quantum-gravity phenomenology and predicts negligible decoherence for high-energy neutrinos consistent with IceCube observations, while implying that the strongest effects arise in the extreme low-energy regime. In this context, the sub-eV-scale energies characteristic of the cosmic neutrino background provide a natural infrared benchmark for illustrating the enhanced sensitivity to quantum-spacetime fluctuations. Our results establish a unified formalism connecting quantum-information methods, open-system dynamics, and quantum-spacetime phenomenology, thereby offering a framework for exploring potential signatures of Planck-scale physics in future low-energy neutrino studies.
This work is the third paper in the MonoField Theory programme, a unified classical field framework based on a single field Φ:R3,1→S3\Phi: \mathbb{R}^{3,1} \to S^3Φ:R3,1→S3. It derives concrete decoherence predictions for mesoscopic matter-wave interferometry by treating localized topological solitons (“twists”) as matter and small-amplitude wave modes (“ripples”) as the environment. Starting from the MonoField Lagrangian, the paper constructs an explicit system–bath coupling, obtains a visibility law logV(Δx)≈−Γ2(Δx)2−Γ4(Δx)4\log V(\Delta x) \approx -\Gamma_2 (\Delta x)^2 - \Gamma_4 (\Delta x)^4logV(Δx)≈−Γ2(Δx)2−Γ4(Δx)4, and ties the nonlinear scale Δxnl∼Rtwist\Delta x_{\rm nl} \sim R_{\rm twist}Δxnl∼Rtwist directly to the microscopic soliton radius. The same parameter combination λm2/F2\lambda m^2/F^2λm2/F2 that controls calm-mode gravity in Paper II also fixes the interferometric decoherence scale, making gravity and mesoscopic interferometry jointly constrain the MonoField parameter space.