Heidelberg 2022 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 4: General Relativity

GR 4.2: Hauptvortrag

Dienstag, 22. März 2022, 11:45–12:30, GR-H2

Observable Signatures of Quantized Gravity in Quantum Optical Experiments — •Dennis Rätzel — Institut für Physik, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstraße 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany

For nearly a century there has been an apparent tension between known laws of physics. The classical theory of General Relativity describes all macroscopic gravitational phenomena, while Quantum Theory is the basis for the description of matter at the microscopic scale. Yet, so far there has been no consensus on how, or even if, they can fit together. A final and conclusive answer to the question of whether gravity ought to be quantized must be based on empirical evidence.

In this talk, I will discuss the search for observable signatures of quantized gravity in quantum optics by means of two examples of gravitationally interacting quantum systems: photons in a polarization-entangled state and small masses in spatial superposition states. I will present experimental proposals and discuss their feasibility and what can be learned from them in principle.