COLLOQUIUM

 

16:00 (CET) March 1,  Prof. Dr. Jake Taylor (Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science; Joint Quantum Institute; NIST)

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Title: Strawman theories of gravity and experiments to knock them down

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Abstract:  With advances in material systems and measurement capabilities, we are now approaching the regime in which experimental systems are capable of holding large amounts of matter in non-classical motional states for extended periods of time. In this talk, I will describe some of the ways to think about three theories of gravity that are compatible with today’s observations but involve, to various degrees, limitations on their quantum information behaviors which make them sufficiently easy for experimental systems to rule them out. The main testing ground for these theories is that of an atom interferometer with a nearby test mass. While these ’straw man’ theories are unlikely to be representative of the underlying theory that unifies gravity and quantum mechanics, by ruling them out, we can clarify and refine the necessary ingredients for such a theory.

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