Experimental observation of Earth’s rotation with quantum entanglement

Author(s): Raffaele Silvestri, Haocun Yu, Teodor Strömberg, Christopher Hilweg, Robert W. Peterson, Philip Walther
Abstract: Precision interferometry with quantum states has emerged as an essential tool for experimentally answering fundamental questions in physics. Optical quantum interferometers are of particular interest because of mature methods for generating and manipulating quantum states of light. Their increased sensitivity promises to enable tests of quantum phenomena, such as entanglement, in regimes where tiny gravitational effects come into play. However, this requires long and decoherence-free processing of quantum entanglement, which, for large interferometric areas, remains unexplored territory. Here, we present a table-top experiment using maximally path-entangled quantum states of light in a large-scale interferometer sensitive enough to measure the rotation rate of Earth. The achieved sensitivity of 5 μrad s−1 constitutes the highest rotation resolution ever reached with optical quantum interferometers. Further improvements to our methodology will enable measurements of general-relativistic effects on entangled photons, allowing the exploration of the interplay between quantum mechanics and general relativity along with tests for fundamental physics.
Organisation(s): Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information, Research Network Quantum Aspects of Space Time
External organisation(s): Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)
Journal: Science Advances
Volume: 10
No. of pages: 9
ISSN: 2375-2548
DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2310.16903
Publication date: 06-2024
Peer reviewed: Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012: 103026 Quantum optics, 103025 Quantum mechanics, 103028 Theory of relativity
ASJC Scopus subject areas: General
Portal url: https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/experimental-observation-of-earths-rotation-with-quantum-entanglement(44d5adba-29ce-4845-bc66-0910970d4943).html