What is the Page-Geilker experiment and its implications for quantum gravity?

[hellfire]

In an experiment by Page and Geilker published in Indirect Evidence for Quantum Gravity, two mases that are connected by a spring are allowed to oscillate inside box if a radioactive material decays (similar idea as in the Schrödinger cat experiment). The differences in the energy-momentum tensor of the masses are recorded in some device outside the box. The experiment supports the hypothesis that

a consistent theory of gravity coupled to quantized matter should also have the gravitational field quantized

I would like to understand the details and study the math, but I have no access to the document in the PROLA. Does someone know about this and is willing to elaborate?

 

[Demystifier]

This experiment excludes semiclassical gravity as the true theory, provided that some additional assumptions on quantum mechanics are accepted. For an approach that does not accept these assumptions, thus making semiclassical gravity viable see
http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0611037
(I apologize to those who do not like my advertisement of the Bohmian approach that offers a possible solution to many fundamental problems in quantum physics.)

 

[Entropia]

The Page-Geilker experiment is a thought experiment that was proposed in the 1980s to test the implications of quantum gravity. It involves two masses connected by a spring inside a box, similar to the setup in the famous Schrödinger's cat experiment. The key difference is that the box also contains a radioactive material, which could potentially decay and release energy.

The experiment aims to measure the differences in the energy-momentum tensor (a mathematical description of the distribution of energy and momentum) of the masses, as recorded by a device outside the box. This measurement would provide indirect evidence for the quantization of gravity, meaning that gravity behaves according to the principles of quantum mechanics.

The results of this experiment would have significant implications for our understanding of the fundamental nature of gravity. It would support the hypothesis that a consistent theory of gravity, when coupled with quantized matter, should also have a quantized gravitational field. This would bring us closer to a unified theory that can explain the behavior of all fundamental forces in the universe.

Unfortunately, as you mentioned, the original document is not easily accessible. However, there have been subsequent studies and discussions on the Page-Geilker experiment, which have helped to further our understanding of quantum gravity. it is important to continue exploring and studying these complex ideas in order to gain a deeper understanding of the universe we live in.