Gravitation and Decoherence : New Scientist Article

Thread starter Swamp Thing
Start date Jun 17, 2015
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article Decoherence Gravitation Scientist

In summary, time dilation due to gravity can cause decoherence in quantum systems, disrupting their superposition and forcing them to behave classically. This is due to the different elapsed proper times experienced by different parts of the wave function, leading to slight phase differences that eventually make the components orthogonal and destroy interference patterns. This effect can only be observed in objects in a superposition of different energy eigenstates, and would not affect objects with no internal degrees of freedom or those in a single energy eigenstate.

Jun 20, 2015

zonde

Gold Member

jerromyjon said:

I thought acceleration doesn't cause time dilation?

Yes, that's right.

<h2>1. What is gravitation and how does it relate to decoherence?</h2><p>Gravitation is a fundamental force of nature that causes objects with mass to attract each other. Decoherence is a process in quantum mechanics where a system becomes entangled with its environment, causing it to lose its quantum properties. Gravitation can affect the behavior of particles in a quantum system, leading to decoherence.</p><h2>2. What is the significance of the New Scientist article on gravitation and decoherence?</h2><p>The New Scientist article discusses recent research and discoveries about the relationship between gravitation and decoherence. It highlights the potential implications for our understanding of quantum mechanics and the nature of reality.</p><h2>3. How does gravitation affect the behavior of quantum particles?</h2><p>Gravitation can cause a quantum system to interact with its environment, leading to decoherence. This can cause the collapse of the quantum state and the loss of information about the system's initial state.</p><h2>4. What are the potential implications of the connection between gravitation and decoherence?</h2><p>The connection between gravitation and decoherence has the potential to shed light on the fundamental nature of reality and the role of gravity in the quantum world. It may also have practical applications in fields such as quantum computing and information processing.</p><h2>5. What further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between gravitation and decoherence?</h2><p>While recent research has made significant progress in understanding the connection between gravitation and decoherence, there is still much to be explored. Further studies and experiments are needed to fully understand the mechanisms at play and their implications for our understanding of the universe.</p>

1. What is gravitation and how does it relate to decoherence?

Gravitation is a fundamental force of nature that causes objects with mass to attract each other. Decoherence is a process in quantum mechanics where a system becomes entangled with its environment, causing it to lose its quantum properties. Gravitation can affect the behavior of particles in a quantum system, leading to decoherence.

2. What is the significance of the New Scientist article on gravitation and decoherence?

The New Scientist article discusses recent research and discoveries about the relationship between gravitation and decoherence. It highlights the potential implications for our understanding of quantum mechanics and the nature of reality.

3. How does gravitation affect the behavior of quantum particles?

Gravitation can cause a quantum system to interact with its environment, leading to decoherence. This can cause the collapse of the quantum state and the loss of information about the system's initial state.

4. What are the potential implications of the connection between gravitation and decoherence?

The connection between gravitation and decoherence has the potential to shed light on the fundamental nature of reality and the role of gravity in the quantum world. It may also have practical applications in fields such as quantum computing and information processing.

5. What further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between gravitation and decoherence?

While recent research has made significant progress in understanding the connection between gravitation and decoherence, there is still much to be explored. Further studies and experiments are needed to fully understand the mechanisms at play and their implications for our understanding of the universe.