Einstein's gravity observed in the quantum world for the first time
Scientists observe Einstein's gravity in the quantum world
An international team, including Nobel laureate Roger Penrose, has observed a long-predicted effect of gravity on a falling quantum object for the first time. Using a new apparatus called the Quantum Galileo Interferometer, they split rubidium atoms into two paths, held one still while the other fell freely, and measured the quantum phase difference. The result confirms that Einstein's equivalence principle holds in the quantum regime, providing a crucial experimental link between quantum mechanics and gravity.
We have no consistent theory telling us why quantum physics should fail. This experiment pushes quantum mechanics into one of its most intriguing frontiers, gravity, and shows that, once again, its predictions hold.
- MathMonkeyMan
Here's the [paper][1] on the arxiv.
I found it hard to believe that they accounted for other forces precisely enough that they could attribute the phase change to gravity, but this is beyond me so I trust the result.
At first I thought "they showed that you can measure a particle falling in gravity," which seemed dumb because we already know that particles fall in gravity. But they showed that you can measure a single (aggregate) particle falling in gravity, which is pretty cool because if gravity is quantum then that means that they observed an interaction between the graviton and their rubidium atom.
- pjungwir
I was wondering last night: are any of the fundamental forces "blocked" by an intervening object? I assume not, since there is nothing like that in the equations. But that is kind of interesting, since sometimes you hear talk of hypothetical particles like gravitons.
- gaze
Vlatko tends to show up on papers with let's say, big claims. Consider the superconducting qubit/Tardigrade paper https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.07978
- hoppp
I am not very well versed in the subject but
if quantum objects can fall and multiple quantum waves can occupy the same space, then why doesn't everything always collapse into a single point?
Why does it only happen in black holes and outside of that quantum waves instead create emergent systems instead of just collapsing together?
Does high gravitational force nullify emergence in space/time?
Might be a stupid question. I don't study this subject much.
- miles_io
Mind-bending stuff. Always wondered when we'd start seeing GR effects pop up at the quantum scale, makes sense.