The weak equivalence principle with a quantum particle in a gravitational wave

The weak equivalence principle with a quantum particle in a gravitational wave

Seminar author:James Quach

Event date and time:09/06/2019 12:00:pm

Event location:GIQ Seminar Room

Event contact:quach.james@gmail.com

In this informal talk, I will  show that the weak equivalence principle (WEP) is violated for a quantum particle in a gravitational wave (GW) background. In a freely-falling frame, the expected trajectory of a quantum particle is independent of the GW, but its probability distribution is not. By monitoring the position of the particle, extra mass information can be extracted due to the GW, in violation of the WEP.