Photon-Counting Interferometry to Detect Geontropic Space-Time Fluctuations with GQuEST

Vermeulen, Sander M. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000342278214); Cullen, Torrey [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000240159094); Grass, Daniel [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000250114108); MacMillan, Ian A. O. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000269271031); Ramirez, Alexander J. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000151731469); Wack, Jeffrey [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000693594056); Korzh, Boris [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab. (JPL)]; Lee, Vincent S. H. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000234813590); Zurek, Kathryn M. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:000000022629337X); Stoughton, Chris [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000234795388); McCuller, Lee [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)]

doi:10.1103/physrevx.15.011034

DOE OSTI · 2516765

Photon-Counting Interferometry to Detect Geontropic Space-Time Fluctuations with GQuEST

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Abstract

The gravity from the quantum entanglement of space-time (GQuEST) experiment uses tabletop-scale Michelson laser interferometers to probe for fluctuations in space-time. We present a practicable interferometer design featuring a novel photon-counting readout method that provides unprecedented sensitivity, as it is not subject to the interferometric standard quantum limit. We evaluate the potential of this design to measure space-time fluctuations motivated by recent “geontropic” quantum gravity models. The accelerated accrual of Fisher information offered by the photon-counting readout enables GQuEST to detect the predicted quantum gravity phenomena within measurement times at least 100 times shorter than equivalent conventional interferometers. The GQuEST design, thus, enables a fast and sensitive search for signatures of quantum gravity in a laboratory-scale experiment.

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46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY experimental studies of gravity nonclassical interferometry optical interferometry quantum gravity

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Vermeulen, Sander M. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000342278214), Cullen, Torrey [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000240159094), Grass, Daniel [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000250114108), MacMillan, Ian A. O. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000269271031), Ramirez, Alexander J. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000151731469), Wack, Jeffrey [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000693594056), Korzh, Boris [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab. (JPL)], Lee, Vincent S. H. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000234813590), Zurek, Kathryn M. [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)] (ORCID:000000022629337X), Stoughton, Chris [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000234795388), McCuller, Lee [California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)]. 2025-02-14. Photon-Counting Interferometry to Detect Geontropic Space-Time Fluctuations with GQuEST. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevx.15.011034

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