Quiñones, DA orcid.org/0000-0001-5844-3312, Oniga, T, Varcoe, BTH orcid.org/0000-0001-7056-7238 et al. (1 more author) (2017) Quantum principle of sensing gravitational waves: From the zero-point fluctuations to the cosmological stochastic background of spacetime. Physical Review D, 96 (4). 044018. ISSN 2470-0010
Abstract
We carry out a theoretical investigation on the collective dynamics of an ensemble of correlated atoms, subject to both vacuum fluctuations of spacetime and stochastic gravitational waves. A general approach is taken with the derivation of a quantum master equation capable of describing arbitrary confined nonrelativistic matter systems in an open quantum gravitational environment. It enables us to relate the spectral function for gravitational waves and the distribution function for quantum gravitational fluctuations and to indeed introduce a new spectral function for the zero-point fluctuations of spacetime. The formulation is applied to two-level identical bosonic atoms in an off-resonant high-Q cavity that effectively inhibits undesirable electromagnetic delays, leading to a gravitational transition mechanism through certain quadrupole moment operators. The overall relaxation rate before reaching equilibrium is found to generally scale collectively with the number N of atoms. However, we are also able to identify certain states of which the decay and excitation rates with stochastic gravitational waves and vacuum spacetime fluctuations amplify more significantly with a factor of N². Using such favorable states as a means of measuring both conventional stochastic gravitational waves and novel zero-point spacetime fluctuations, we determine the theoretical lower bounds for the respective spectral functions. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings on future observations of gravitational waves of a wider spectral window than currently accessible. Especially, the possible sensing of the zero-point fluctuations of spacetime could provide an opportunity to generate initial evidence and further guidance of quantum gravity.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 American Physical Society. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Physical Review D. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Gravitational waves; Open quantum systems; Quantum gravity |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Theoretical Physics (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EPSRC EP/M506953/1 EPSRC GR/S21892/02 EPSRC GR/T02331/02 EPSRC GR/T02324/02 EPSRC EP/M013472/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 09 Feb 2018 12:34 |
Last Modified: | 12 Dec 2024 15:37 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Physical Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1103/PhysRevD.96.044018 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:127249 |