Observation of a gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effect

Area of Science:

• Quantum physics
• General relativity
• Gravitational effects on quantum systems

Background:

• Gravity warps spacetime, causing time dilation between different trajectories.
• Quantum superposition is theoretically sensitive to gravitational time differences.
• Previous experiments have not directly measured gravitational phase shifts in quantum systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally measure the gravitational phase shift in a matter-wave interferometer.
• To verify quantum mechanical predictions regarding gravity's influence on quantum states.
• To investigate the relationship between gravitational phase shifts and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a matter-wave interferometer with a kilogram-scale mass positioned near one wave packet.
• Independently measured the deflections of each interferometer arm caused by the source mass.
• Analyzed the induced phase shift and compared it to deflection-induced contributions.

Main Results:

• Observed a gravitational phase shift that deviates from the phase contribution due to mass-induced deflection.
• The measured phase shift aligns with predictions from quantum mechanics.
• The observed scaling of the phase shift is consistent with Heisenberg's error-disturbance relation.

Conclusions:

• Gravity induces Aharonov-Bohm phase shifts in quantum systems, analogous to electromagnetic interactions.
• This experiment provides direct evidence of gravity's impact on quantum phase.
• The findings support the unification of general relativity and quantum mechanics.