Role of quantum measurements when testing the quantum nature of gravity

Abstract

In order to empirically test the quantum nature of gravity, it is essential to explore the construction of classical gravity theories that are as consistent with experiments as possible. In particular, the classical gravity field must receive input regarding matter distribution. Previously, such input has been constructed by taking expectation values of the matter density operator on the quantum state, or by using the outcomes of all measurements being performed on the quantum system—or by using information obtained by auxiliary observers (like those that lead to the continuous spontaneous localization and Diosi-Penrose collapses) that continuously monitor the quantum dynamics. We propose a framework that unifies these models, and argue that the Causal Conditional Formulation of Schrödinger-Newton (CCSN) theory, which takes classical inputs only from experimental and environmental channels—without auxiliary observers—is a minimum model within this framework. Since CCSN can be viewed as a quantum feedback control scheme, it can be made explicitly causal and free from pathologies that previously plagued Schrödinger-Newton theories. Since classical information from measurement results are used to generate classical gravity, CCSN can mimic quantum gravity better than one would naively expect for a classical theory—making it more subtle to perform tests of the quantum nature of gravity. We predict experimental signatures of CCSN in two concrete scenarios: (i) a single test mass continuously monitored by light, and (ii) two objects interacting via mutual gravity, each monitored separately. In case (i), we show that the mass-concentration effect of self classical gravity still makes CCSN much easier to test than testing the establishment of mutual entanglement, yet the signatures are more subtle than previously thought for classical gravity theories. Using time-delayed measurements and nonstationary measurements, which delay or suspend the flow of classical information into classical gravity, one can make CCSN more detectable. In case (ii), we show that mutual gravity generated by CCSN can lead to correlations that largely mimic signatures of quantum entanglement in steady-state measurements. Rigorous protocols that rule out local operation and classical communication channels, which are experimentally more challenging than simply testing steady-state entanglement, must be applied in order to completely rule out CCSN.

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