CAREER: Towards Low-Energy Tests of Quantum Gravity with AMO Systems

职业生涯：利用 AMO 系统进行量子引力的低能量测试

• 批准号: 2239498
• 负责人: Igor Pikovski
• 金额: $ 51.42万
• 依托单位: Stevens Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-07-15 至 2028-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2239498&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Towards; Low; Energy; Tests

More than a century ago, two theories revolutionized physics: quantum theory and Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Quantum theory describes the smallest building blocks of nature and predicts puzzling phenomena that have been confirmed to enormous precision on atomic scales. General relativity, on the other hand, describes gravity as curved space and time: it governs the dynamics of planets, galaxies and even the universe. Both theories withstood the test of time and there is no experimental indication that either of them needs to be revisited. Yet, both are seemingly at odds with each other, and it remains a puzzle how to combine them into a single framework. No complete theory of quantum gravity has yet been found. A major challenge is the scant experimental evidence that could guide theoretical developments, as both theories are relevant at seemingly distant scales. This project aims to tackle the problem from a new perspective: using quantum technologies to test the interplay of quantum theory and gravity. The new approach focuses on fundamental concepts in quantum information science, and on new developments in the experimental control of quantum systems that now operate at entirely new scales. The goal of the project is to show how to test signatures of the quantum nature of gravity and of new physics at the interface of quantum theory and gravity. While firmly rooted in basic research with the goal to progress science in new interdisciplinary ways, the project will also advance the development of quantum technologies. It will involve undergraduate and K-12 students, fostering the fascination for the most fundamental questions of nature and provide training in quantum information science. While quantum gravity effects are usually associated with the distant Planck-scale, in the past decade a new quantum information perspective has opened novel routes for possible indirect experimental tests of expected and speculative physics. Building on these developments and rapidly advancing experimental platforms, this project will address current conceptual and practical challenges to enable experimental searches for quantum gravity. The group will design new detection methods based on AMO systems and quantum information concepts that can enable tests of quantum gravity phenomenology at low energies. The work will focus on tests of fundamental principles that can indirectly reveal signatures of quantization of gravity, and on tests of speculative models that show signatures at low energies that can be probed in near-future experiments. The project will significantly advance this young and promising research field by providing realistic paths for new experiments with AMO systems, overcoming current technical and conceptual drawbacks, and support quantum technology development for basic science.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

一个多世纪以前，两种理论彻底改变了物理学：量子理论和爱因斯坦的一般相对论。量子理论描述了自然的最小构建基块和预测难题令人困惑的现象，这些现象已被证实，可以增强原子尺度上的精度。另一方面，一般相对性将重力描述为弯曲的空间和时间：它控制着行星，星系甚至宇宙的动力学。这两种理论都经受了时间的考验，没有实验迹象表明它们中的任何一个都需要重新审视。然而，两者似乎彼此之间是矛盾的，并且如何将它们组合到一个框架中仍然是一个难题。尚未找到量子重力的完整理论。一个主要的挑战是可以指导理论发展的很少的实验证据，因为这两种理论在看似截然不同的规模上都是相关的。该项目旨在从新的角度解决该问题：使用量子技术测试量子理论和重力的相互作用。新方法的重点是量子信息科学中的基本概念，以及量子系统实验控制中的新发展，该系统现在以全新的量表运行。该项目的目的是展示如何在量子理论和重力的界面上测试重力和新物理学的量子性质的特征。尽管批判性地植根于基础研究以新的跨学科方式进行科学的目标，但该项目还将推动量子技术的发展。它将涉及本科生和K-12学生，促进对自然界最基本问题的迷恋，并提供量子信息科学的培训。虽然量子重力效应通常与遥远的普朗克规模有关，但在过去的十年中，新的量子信息透视图已为可能的间接实验和投机物理学开辟了新的途径。该项目以这些发展并迅速发展实验平台的发展，将解决当前的概念和实际挑战，以实验量子重力搜索。该小组将根据AMO系统和量子信息概念设计新的检测方法，这些方法可以在低能量下进行量子重力现象学测试。这项工作将集中于可以间接揭示重力量子量化的基本原理的测试，以及投机模型的测试，这些模型显示出在低能量下可以在近乎实现的实验中探测的签名。该项目将通过为AMO系统提供新的实验，克服当前的技术和概念缺点，并为基础科学的量子技术开发提供现实的途径，从而大大推动这一年轻而有希望的研究领域。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的智力和更广泛的影响来评估的支持，并被认为是值得通过评估的支持。