Relative acceleration noise mitigation for nanocrystal matter-wave interferometry: Applications to entangling masses via quantum gravity

Toros, M. , van de Kamp, T. W., Marshman, R. J., Kim, M.S., Mazumdar, A. and Bose, S. (2021) Relative acceleration noise mitigation for nanocrystal matter-wave interferometry: Applications to entangling masses via quantum gravity. Physical Review Research, 3, 023178. (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.023178)

Abstract

Matter-wave interferometers with large momentum transfers, irrespective of specific implementations, will face a universal dephasing due to relative accelerations between the interferometric mass and the associated apparatus. Here we propose a solution that works even without actively tracking the relative accelerations: putting both the interfering mass and its associated apparatus in a freely falling capsule, so that the strongest inertial noise components vanish due to the equivalence principle. In this setting, we investigate two of the most important remaining noise sources: (a) the noninertial jitter of the experimental setup and (b) the gravity-gradient noise. We show that the former can be reduced below desired values by appropriate pressures and temperatures, while the latter can be fully mitigated in a controlled environment. We finally apply the analysis to a recent proposal for testing the quantum nature of gravity [S. Bose et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 240401 (2017)] through the entanglement of two masses undergoing interferometry. We show that the relevant entanglement witnessing is feasible with achievable levels of relative acceleration noise.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: M.T. and S.B. would like to acknowledge EPSRC Grant No. EP/N031105/1, S.B. EPSRC Grant No. EP/S000267/1, and M.T. funding by the Leverhulme Trust (Grant No. RPG2020-197). A.M.’s research is funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Science and Research (NWO), Grant No. 680-91-119. R.J.M. is funded by a UCL Departmental Studentship. M.S.K. was supported by the EPSRC (Grant No. EP/R044082/1) through the QuantERA ERA-NET Cofund in Quantum Technologies.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Toros, Dr Marko
• Authors: Toros, M., van de Kamp, T. W., Marshman, R. J., Kim, M.S., Mazumdar, A., and Bose, S.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Physical Review Research
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• ISSN: 2643-1564
• ISSN (Online): 2643-1564
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Physical Review Research 3:023178
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
308508		Quantum Mechanics in a Rotating World	Miles Padgett	Leverhulme Trust (LEVERHUL)	RPG-2020-197	P&S - Physics & Astronomy