Gravitational decoherence

Abstract

We discuss effects of loss of coherence in low energy quantum systems caused
by or related to gravitation, referred to as gravitational decoherence. These
effects, resulting from random metric fluctuations, for instance, promise to
be accessible by relatively inexpensive table-top experiments, way before the
scales where true quantum gravity effects become important. Therefore, they
can provide a first experimental view on gravity in the quantum regime. We
will survey models of decoherence induced both by classical and quantum
gravitational fluctuations; it will be manifest that a clear understanding of
gravitational decoherence is still lacking. Next we will review models where
quantum theory is modified, under the assumption that gravity causes the
collapse of the wave functions, when systems are large enough. These models
challenge the quantum-gravity interplay, and can be tested experimentally. In
the last part we have a look at the state of the art of experimental research. We
will review efforts aiming at more and more accurate measurements of gravity
(G and g) and ideas for measuring conventional and unconventional gravity
effects on nonrelativistic quantum systems.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Hendrik Ulbricht: orcid.org/0000-0003-0356-0065

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