Does universality of free-fall apply to the motion of quantum probes?

[摘要] Can quantum-mechanical particles propagating on a fixed spacetime background be approximated as test bodies satisfying the weak equivalence principle? We ultimately answer the question in the negative but find that, when universality of free-fall is assessed locally, a nontrivial agreement between quantum mechanics and the weak equivalence principle exists. Implications for mass sensing by quantum probes are discussed in some details.

[发布机构] Quantum Technology Lab, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano; I-20133, Italy^1;Institute for Theoretical Physics, ETH Zurich, Zürich; 8093, Switzerland^2;INFN, Sezione di Milano, Milano; I-20133, Italy^3

[效力级别] 力学 [学科分类] 力学，机械学

[关键词] Free fall;Mass sensing;Quantum mechanical particles;Quantum probe;Spacetime;Weak equivalence principle