dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaQuantum mechanics and the equivalence principle
| Authors | P. C. W. Davies |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/0403027 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0403027 |
| DOI | 10.1088/0264-9381/21/11/017 |
Abstract
A quantum particle moving in a gravitational field may penetrate the classically forbidden region of the gravitational potential. This raises the question of whether the time of flight of a quantum particle in a gravitational field might deviate systematically from that of a classical particle due to tunnelling delay, representing a violation of the weak equivalence principle. I investigate this using a model quantum clock to measure the time of flight of a quantum particle in a uniform gravitational field, and show that a violation of the equivalence principle does not occur when the measurement is made far from the turning point of the classical trajectory. I conclude with some remarks about the strong equivalence principle in quantum mechanics.
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"abstract": "A quantum particle moving in a gravitational field may penetrate the\nclassically forbidden region of the gravitational potential. This raises the\nquestion of whether the time of flight of a quantum particle in a gravitational\nfield might deviate systematically from that of a classical particle due to\ntunnelling delay, representing a violation of the weak equivalence principle. I\ninvestigate this using a model quantum clock to measure the time of flight of a\nquantum particle in a uniform gravitational field, and show that a violation of\nthe equivalence principle does not occur when the measurement is made far from\nthe turning point of the classical trajectory. I conclude with some remarks\nabout the strong equivalence principle in quantum mechanics.",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/0403027",
"authors": [
"P. C. W. Davies"
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"doi": "10.1088/0264-9381/21/11/017",
"title": "Quantum mechanics and the equivalence principle",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0403027"
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