QuTech, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, Delft 2628 CJ, The Netherlands.
Centre for Quantum Technologies, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543, Singapore.
Nat Commun. 2016 Oct 3;7:13022. doi: 10.1038/ncomms13022.
Quantum mechanics and the theory of gravity are presently not compatible. A particular question is whether gravity causes decoherence. Several models for gravitational decoherence have been proposed, not all of which can be described quantum mechanically. Since quantum mechanics may need to be modified, one may question the use of quantum mechanics as a calculational tool to draw conclusions from the data of experiments concerning gravity. Here we propose a general method to estimate gravitational decoherence in an experiment that allows us to draw conclusions in any physical theory where the no-signalling principle holds, even if quantum mechanics needs to be modified. As an example, we propose a concrete experiment using optomechanics. Our work raises the interesting question whether other properties of nature could similarly be established from experimental observations alone-that is, without already having a rather well-formed theory of nature to make sense of experimental data.
量子力学和引力理论目前并不兼容。一个特别的问题是引力是否会导致退相干。已经提出了几种引力退相干的模型，但并非所有模型都可以用量子力学来描述。由于量子力学可能需要修正，人们可能会质疑将量子力学用作计算工具，从有关引力的实验数据中得出结论。在这里，我们提出了一种在实验中估计引力退相干的一般方法，该方法允许我们在任何持有无信号原理的物理理论中得出结论，即使量子力学需要修正。作为一个例子，我们提出了一个使用光机械的具体实验。我们的工作提出了一个有趣的问题，即自然界的其他性质是否也可以仅从实验观察中建立起来，也就是说，不需要已经有一个相当完善的自然理论来理解实验数据。
