Dartmouth Events

Abstract:  The interplay between Einstein’s theory of gravity and quantum mechanics
remains one of the main open questions in physics. Each of the theories
has been confirmed individually, but phenomena described by the two
usually take place at very different physical regimes. Nevertheless,
gravity can affect quantum systems and some aspects of the interplay can
be probed in experiments.

In the first part of this talk, I will discuss high precision
measurements of gravity with quantum technology, focusing on a novel
scheme for gravitational wave detection using atomic clocks [1] and on
probing possible quantum gravitational signatures in opto-mechanical
systems [2]. In the second part, I will discuss how post-Newtonian
corrections can show in quantum experiments. In particular, I will focus
on how gravitational time dilation affects the quantum dynamics of
composite systems, and how it leads to universal decoherence [3].

[1] S. Kolkowitz et al. PRD 94, 124043 (2016)
[2] I. Pikovski et al. Nature Phys. 8, 393-397 (2012)
[3] I. Pikovski et al. Nature Phys. 11, 668-672 (2015)