A quantum particle moving in a gravitational field may penetrate the classically forbidden region of the gravitational potential. This raises the question of whether the time of flight of a quantum particle in a gravitational field might deviate systematically from that of a classical particle due to tunnelling delay, representing a violation of the weak equivalence principle. I investigate this using a model quantum clock to measure the time of flight of a quantum particle in a uniform gravitational field, and show that a violation of the equivalence principle does not occur when the measurement is made far from the turning point of the classical trajectory. I conclude with some remarks about the strong equivalence principle in quantum mechanics.
In this paper we develop a discussion about PT Symmetric Quantum Mechanics, working with basics elements of this theory. In a simple case of two body system, we developed the Quantum Brachistochrone problem. Comparing the results obtained through the PT Symmetric Quantum Mechanics with that ones obtained using the standard formalism, we conclude that this new approach is not able to reveal any new effect.
There have been various claims that the Equivalence Principle, as originally formulated by Einstein, presents several difficulties when extended to the quantum domain, even in the regime of weak gravity. Here we point out that by following the same approach as used for other classical principles, e.g. the principle of conservation of energy, one can, for weak fields, obtain a straightforward quantum formulation of the principle. We draw attention to a recently performed test that confirms the Equivalence Principle in this form and discuss its implications.
We use the Feynman path integral approach to nonrelativistic quantum mechanics twofold. First, we derive the lagrangian for a spinless particle moving in a uniformly but not necessarily constantly accelerated reference frame; then, applying the strong equivalence principle (SEP) we obtain the Schroedinger equation for a particle in an inertial frame and in the presence of a uniform and constant gravity field. Second, using the associated Feynman propagator, we propagate an initial gaussian wave packet, with the final wave function and probability density depending on the ratio m/hbar, where m …
On the basis of a manifestly covariant formalism of non-relativistic quantum mechanics in general coordinate systems, proposed by us recently, we derive general expressions for inertial forces. The results enable us further to discuss, and to explain the validity of, the equivalence principle in non-relativistic quantum mechanics.
Einstein`s equivalence principle states the complete physical equivalence of a gravitational field and corresponding inertial field in an accelerated reference frame. However, to what extent the equivalence principle remains valid in non-relativistic quantum mechanics is a controversial issue. To avoid violation of the equivalence principle, Bargmann`s superselection rule forbids a coherent superposition of states with different masses. Here we suggest a quantum simulation of non-relativistic Schrödinger particle dynamics in non-inertial reference frames, which is based on propagation of polar…
With an eye on developing a quantum theory of gravity, many physicists have recently searched for quantum challenges to the equivalence principle of general relativity. However, as historians and philosophers of science are well aware, the principle of equivalence is not so clear. When clarified, we think quantum tests of the equivalence principle won't yield much. The problem is that the clash/not-clash is either already evident or guaranteed not to exist. Nonetheless, this work does help teach us what it means for a theory to be geometric.
A recent concept in theoretical physics, motivated in string duality and M-theory, is the notion that not all quantum theories arise from quantising a classical system. Also, a given quantum model may possess more than just one classical limit. In view of these developments, we analyse some general properties that quantum mechanics must satisfy, if it is not to be formulated as a quantisation of a given classical mechanics. Instead, our approach to quantum mechanics is modelled on a statement that is close in spirit to the equivalence principle of general relativity, thus bearing a strong rese…
In previous work we have developed a formulation of quantum mechanics in non-inertial reference frames. This formulation is grounded in a class of unitary cocycle representations of what we have called the Galilean line group, the generalization of the Galilei group that includes transformations amongst non-inertial reference frames. These representations show that in quantum mechanics, just as is the case in classical mechanics, the transformations to accelerating reference frames give rise to fictitious forces. A special feature of these previously constructed representations is that they al…
We propose a simple experimental test of the quantum equivalence principle introduced by Zych and Brukner [arXiv:1502.00971], which generalises the Einstein equivalence principle to superpositions of internal energy states. We consider a harmonically-trapped spin-$\frac12$ atom in the presence of both gravity and an external magnetic field and show that when the external magnetic field is suddenly switched off, various violations of the equivalence principle would manifest as otherwise forbidden transitions. Performing such an experiment would put bounds on the various phenomenological violati…
This paper formulates generalized versions of the general principle of relativity and of the principle of equivalence that can be applied to general abstract spaces. It is shown that when the principles are applied to the Hilbert space of a quantum particle, its law of coupling to electromagnetic fields is obtained. It is suggested to understand the Aharonov-Bohm effect in light of these principles, and the implications for some related foundational controversies are discussed.
The supposed equivalence of the conventional interpretation of quantum mechanics with Bohm's interpretation is generally demonstrated only in the coordinate representation. It is shown, however, that in the momentum representation this equivalence is not valid.
We consider the problem of whether the canonical and microcanonical ensembles are locally equivalent for short-ranged quantum Hamiltonians of $N$ spins arranged on a $d$-dimensional lattices. For any temperature for which the system has a finite correlation length, we prove that the canonical and microcanonical state are approximately equal on regions containing up to $O(N^{1/(d+1)})$ spins. The proof rests on a variant of the Berry--Esseen theorem for quantum lattice systems and ideas from quantum information theory.
We give a general overview of various flavors of the equivalence principle in classical and quantum physics, with special emphasis on the so-called weak equivalence principle, and contrast its validity in mechanics versus field theory. We also discuss its generalisation to a theory of quantum gravity. Our analysis suggests that only the strong equivalence principle can be considered fundamental enough to be generalised to a quantum gravity context, since all other flavors of equivalence principle hold only approximately already at the classical level.
The standard argument for the validity of Einstein's equivalence principle in a non-relativistic quantum context involves the application of a mass superselection rule. It is surprising that the consistency between such an important principle and quantum mechanics depends crucially on the imposition of a non-fundamental restriction. The objective of this work is show that, contrary to what the standard account holds, the compatibility between the principle of equivalence and quantum mechanics does not depend on the introduction of such a superselection rule. For this purpose, we consider the e…
The aim of this short Note is to show that the Schrödinger and Heisenberg pictures of quantum mechanics are not equivalent unless one uses a quantization rule clearly stated by Born and Jordan in their famous 1925 paper. This rule is sufficient and necessary to ensure energy conservation in Heisenberg's matrix mechanics. It follows, in particular, that Schrödinger and Heisenberg mechanics are not equivalent if one quantizes observables using the Weyl prescription.
Einstein's equivalence principle in classical physics is a rule stating that the effect of gravitation is locally equivalent to the acceleration of an observer. The principle determines the motion of test particles uniquely (modulo very broad general assumptions). We show that the same principle applied to a quantum particle described by a wave function on a Newtonian gravitational background determines its motion with a similar degree of uniqueness.
In this essay it will be shown that Decoherence Model and Einstein Equivalence Principle are conceptually incompatible. In other words, assuming only the validity of the Weak Equivalence Principle the present work concludes that we face two possibilities: (i) if Decoherence Model provides a correct description of nature at quantum level, then there are systems which violate Local Position Invariance, or, (ii) if all the postulates behind Einstein Equivalence Principle are valid, even on quantum realm, then Decoherence Model breaks down in curved spacetimes. Finally, the present results are con…
Studies in string theory and quantum gravity lead to the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) and suggest the existence of a fundamental minimal length which, as was established, can be obtained within the deformed Heisenberg algebra. The first look on the classical motion of bodies in a space with corresponding deformed Poisson brackets in a uniform gravitational field can give an impression that bodies of different mass fall in different ways and thus the equivalence principle is violated. Analyzing the kinetic energy of a composite body we find that the motion of its center of mass in th…
Free fall in a uniform gravitational field is revisited in the case of quantum states with and without classical analogue. The interplay between kinematics and dynamics in the evolution of a falling quantum test particle is discussed allowing for a better understanding of the equivalence principle at the operational level.
Universality of motion under gravity, the equivalence principle, is violated for quantum particles. Here, we study time it takes for a quantum particle to scatter from the gravitational potential, and show that the scattering time, formulated here using the opportune Bohmian formulation, acts as an indicator of the equivalence principle violation. The scattering times of wavepackets are distinctive enough to distinguish between the Bohmian and Copenhagen interpretations. The scattering time of mono-energetic stationary states, formulated here as a modification of the Bohmian time by probabilit…
We study the effect of large acceleration of an uniformly accelerated frame on the validity of weak equivalence principle. Specifically we demonstrate how the behaviour of free quantum particle, as observed by an observer with large uniform acceleration, completely changes from that of a quantum particle emmarsed in a uniform gravitational field. We also extend our analysis to the simplest noncommutative space scenario to show that while spatial noncommutativity does not affect the quantum particle in a gravitational field, it does alter the energy eigenvalues of a quantum particle as seen fro…
We consider the motion of a particle in a uniform field in noncommutative space which is rotationally invariant. On the basis of exact calculations it is shown that there is an effect of coordinate noncommutativity on the mass of a particle. A particular case of motion of a particle in a uniform gravitational field is considered and the equivalence principle is studied. We propose the way to solve the problem of violation of the equivalence principle in the rotationally invariant noncommutative space.
We present a formalism of Galilean quantum mechanics in non-inertial reference frames and discuss its implications for the equivalence principle. This extension of quantum mechanics rests on the Galilean line group, the semidirect product of the real line and the group of analytic functions from the real line to the Euclidean group in three dimensions. This group provides transformations between all inertial and non-inertial reference frames and contains the Galilei group as a subgroup. We construct a certain class of unitary representations of the Galilean line group and show that these repre…
We argue that in a framework for emergent quantum mechanics, the weak equivalence principle is a consequence of concentration of measure in large dimensional spaces of $1$-Lipshitz functions. Furthermore, as a consequence of the emergent framework and the properties that we assume for the fundamental dynamics, it is argued that gravity must be a classical, emergent interaction.
We demonstrate that optomechanical non-reciprocity is equivalent to the anti-resonance, often discussed in the context of coupled driven harmonic oscillators. We show that that suitable phase-difference between the cavity driving fields make the relevant optomechanical couplings complex, which leads to non-reciprocity in the field fluctuations and anti-resonance in average field amplitudes. This analogy with anti-resonance demonstrates that only for a particular frequency (the so-called isolation frequency) of input signal, maximum non-reciprocity can be achieved. In contrast to the previous s…
We challenge the view that there is a basic conflict between the fundamental principles of Quantum Theory and General Relativity, and in particular the fact that a superposition of massive bodies would lead to a violation of the Equivalence Principle. It has been argued that this violation implies that such a superposition must inevitably spontaneously collapse (like in the Diósi-Penrose model). We identify the origin of such an assertion in the impossibility of finding a local, classical reference frame in which Einstein's Equivalence Principle would hold. In contrast, we argue that the formu…
The transverse group associated to some continuous quantum measuring processes is analyzed in the presence of nonvanishing gravitational fields. This is done considering, as an exmaple, the case of a particle whose coordinates are being monitored. Employing the so called restricted path integral formalism, it will be shown that the measuring process could always contain information concerning the gravitational field. In other words, it seems that with the presence of a measuring process the equivalence principle may, in some cases, break down. The relation between the breakdown of the equivale…
We consider the two main theorems in the derivation of the Quantum Hamilton--Jacobi Equation from the Equivalence Postulate (EP) of quantum mechanics. The first one concerns a basic cocycle condition, which holds in any dimension with Euclidean or Minkowski metrics and implies a global conformal symmetry underlying the Quantum Hamilton--Jacobi Equation. In one dimension such a condition fixes the Schwarzian equation. The second theorem concerns energy quantization which follows rigorously from consistency of the equivalence postulate.
The weak equivalence principle is studied in a space with noncommutativity of coordinates and noncommutativity of momenta. We find conditions on the parameters of noncommutativity which give the possibility to recover the equivalence principle in noncommutative phase space. It is also shown that in the case when these conditions are satisfied the motion of the center-of-mass of a composite system in noncommutative phase space and the relative motion are independent, the kinetic energy of composite system has additivity property and is independent on the systems composition. So, we propose cond…
The propagation of the wave function of a particle is characterised by a group and a phase velocity. The group velocity is associated with the particle's classical velocity, which is always smaller than the speed of light, and the phase velocity is associated with the propagation speed of the wave function phase and is treated as being unphysical, since its value is always greater than the speed of light. Here we show, using Sciama's Machian formulation of rest mass energy, that this physical interpretation, for the group and the phase velocity of the wave function, is only valid if the weak e…
We investigate leading order deviations from general relativity that violate the Einstein equivalence principle in the gravitational standard model extension. We show that redshift experiments based on matter waves and clock comparisons are equivalent to one another. Consideration of torsion balance tests, along with matter wave, microwave, optical, and Mössbauer clock tests, yields comprehensive limits on spin-independent Einstein equivalence principle-violating standard model extension terms at the $10^{-6}$ level.
We explore the interplay between the equivalence principle and a generalization of the Heisenberg uncertainty relations known as extended uncertainty principle, that comprises the effects of spacetime curvature at large distances. Specifically, we observe that, when the modified uncertainty relations hold, the weak formulation of the equivalence principle is violated, since the inertial mass of quantum systems becomes position-dependent whilst the gravitational mass is left untouched. To obtain the above result, spinor and scalar fields are separately analyzed by considering the non-relativist…
The equivalence principle is the conceptual basis for general relativity. In contrast Mach's principle, although said to have been influential on Einstein in his formulation of general relativity, has not been shown to be central to the structure of general relativity. In this essay we suggest that the quantum effects of Hawking and Unruh radiation are a manifestation of a {\it thermal} Mach's principle, where the local thermodynamic properties of the system are determined by the non-local structure of the quantum fields which determine the vacuum of a given spacetime. By comparing Hawking and…
The Einstein equivalence principle is based on the equality of gravitational mass and inertial mass, which has led to the universality of a free-fall concept. The principle has been extremely well tested so far and has been tested with a great precision. However, all these tests and the corresponding arguments are based on a classical setup where the notion of position and velocity of the mass is associated with a classical value as opposed to the quantum entities. Here, we will provide a simple protocol based on creating large spatial superposition states in a laboratory to test the fully qua…
We consider the role of the internal kinetic energy of bound systems of matter in tests of the Einstein equivalence principle. Using the gravitational sector of the standard model extension, we show that stringent limits on equivalence principle violations in antimatter can be indirectly obtained from tests using bound systems of normal matter. We estimate the bound kinetic energy of nucleons in a range of light atomic species using Green's function Monte Carlo calculations, and for heavier species using a Woods-Saxon model. We survey the sensitivities of existing and planned experimental test…
Gravitation, according to General Relativity, is an attribute of space-time's geometry and hence not a force in the Newtonian sense. This is a consequence of Einstein's equivalence principle, which so far passed all experimental tests with high precision. However, the search for possible violations continues, for they, as the case may be, are expected to point towards more fundamental theoretical extensions of General Relativity. In particular, it is expected that useful insights are gained by studying the interaction between gravitational fields and genuine quantum-mechanical systems, like at…
We will use Fisher information to properly analyze the quantum weak equivalence principle. We argue that gravitational waves will be partially reflected by superconductors. This will occur as the violation of the weak equivalence principle in Cooper pairs is larger than the surrounding ionic lattice. Such reflections of virtual gravitational waves by superconductors can produce a gravitational Casimir effect, which may be detected using currently available technology.
In this paper, we investigate a characterization of Quantum Mechanics by two physical principles based on general probabilistic theories. We first give the operationally motivated definition of the physical equivalence of states and consider the principle of the physical equivalence of pure states, which turns out to be equivalent to the symmetric structure of the state space. We further consider another principle of the decomposability with distinguishable pure states. We give classification theorems of the state spaces for each principle, and derive the Bloch ball in 2 and 3 dimensional syst…
That gravitation can be understood as purely metric phenomenon depends crucially on the validity of a number of hypotheses which are summarised by the Einstein Equivalence Principle, the least well tested part of which being the Universality of Gravitational Redshift. A recent and currently widely debated proposal (Nature 463 (2010) 926-929) to re-interpret some 10-year old experiments in atom interferometry would imply, if tenable, substantial reductions on upper bounds for possible violations of the Universality of Gravitational Redshift by four orders of magnitude. This interpretation, howe…
Recently we showed that the postulated diffeomorphic equivalence of states implies quantum mechanics. This approach takes the canonical variables to be dependent by the relation p=\partial_q S_0 and exploits a basic GL(2,C)-symmetry which underlies the canonical formalism. In particular, we looked for the special transformations leading to the free system with vanishing energy. Furthermore, we saw that while on the one hand the equivalence principle cannot be consistently implemented in classical mechanics, on the other it naturally led to the quantum analogue of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation, …
We postulate that physical states are equivalent under coordinate transformations. We then implement this equivalence principle first in the case of one-dimensional stationary systems showing that it leads to the quantum analogue of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation which in turn implies the Schroedinger equation. In this context the Planck constant plays the role of covariantizing parameter. The construction is deeply related to the GL(2,C)-symmetry of the second-order differential equation associated to the Legendre transformation which selects, in the case of the quantum analogue of the Hamilton…
The aim of the famous Born and Jordan 1925 paper was to put Heisenberg's matrix mechanics on a firm mathematical basis. Born and Jordan showed that if one wants to ensure energy conservation in Heisenberg's theory it is necessary and sufficient to quantize observables following a certain ordering rule. One apparently unnoticed consequence of this fact is that Schrödinger's wave mechanics cannot be equivalent to Heisenberg's more physically motivated matrix mechanics unless its observables are quantized using this rule, and not the more symmetric prescription proposed by Weyl in 1926, which has…
The motion of a composite system made of N particles is examined in a space with a canonical noncommutative algebra of coordinates. It is found that the coordinates of the center-of-mass position satisfy noncommutative algebra with effective parameter. Therefore, the upper bound of the parameter of noncommutativity is re-examined. We conclude that the weak equivalence principle is violated in the case of a non-uniform gravitational field and propose the condition for the recovery of this principle in noncommutative space. Furthermore, the same condition is derived from the independence of kine…
