On the possibility of laboratory evidence for quantum superposition of geometries

• Published in: Physics letters. B Vol. 792; pp. 64 - 68
• Main Authors: Christodoulou, Marios, Rovelli, Carlo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 10-05-2019; Elsevier
• Subjects: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology; Physics; scale: Planck; space-time: geometry; gravitation; entanglement; covariance; quantum gravity; two-particle
• ISSN: 0370-2693; 1873-2445
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2019.03.015

We analyse the recent proposal of measuring a quantum gravity phenomenon in the lab by entangling two mesoscopic particles gravitationally. We give a generally covariant description of this phenomenon, where the relevant effect turns out to be a quantum superposition of proper times. We point out that if General Relativity is assumed to hold for masses at this scale, measurement of this effect would count as evidence for quantum superposition of spacetime geometries. This interpretation addresses objections appeared in the literature. We observe that the effect sheds light on the Planck mass, and argue that it is very plausibly a real effect.