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Updated: Apr 5, 2026
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50-km Fiber Interferometer for Testing Gravitational Signatures in Quantum Interference.
Haocun Yu1,2, Dorotea Macri3, Thomas Morling1,2,4
1Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ), University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
Physical Review Letters
|April 3, 2026
Summary
Scientists developed a 50-km fiber interferometer to measure quantum mechanics and general relativity effects. This quantum sensing breakthrough achieved unprecedented phase sensitivity, enabling detection of gravity-induced phase shifts in a lab setting.
Area of Science:
- Quantum physics
- General relativity
- Experimental physics
Background:
- Quantum mechanics and general relativity are fundamental but experimentally challenging to unify.
- Previous laboratory experiments lacked the sensitivity to probe quantum effects in gravitational fields.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sensitive experimental platform for testing quantum mechanics within general relativity.
- To measure optical phase shifts of photons in a gravitational potential.
Main Methods:
- Realization of a 50-km table-top Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometer.
- Operation at the single-photon level.
- Achieved phase sensitivity of 4.42×10⁻⁶ rad rms (0.01–5 Hz).
Main Results:
- Demonstrated sufficient sensitivity to resolve a gravity-induced phase shift signal of 6.18(44)×10⁻⁵ rad rms at 0.1 Hz.
- Successfully detected modulated gravity-induced signals.
Conclusions:
- This work represents a milestone in quantum sensing using large-scale optical interferometry.
- Enables detection of gravitational redshifts in a local laboratory.
- Paves the way for testing quantum phenomena in general relativistic frameworks.
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