Universality in the Gravitational Stretching of Clocks, Waves and Quantum States

TL;DR

This paper explores the universal behavior of clocks, waves, and quantum states in gravitational fields, providing a unified framework that clarifies their interrelations and addresses recent debates on gravitational measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a unified quantum framework linking clocks, waves, and states in gravity, clarifying their relationships and resolving debates on gravimetry and time dilation.

Findings

Quantum states and matter waves are fundamentally linked through the equivalence principle.

The framework clarifies the relation between atom interferometry and gravitational time dilation.

The approach resolves recent controversies in gravitational measurement techniques.

Abstract

There are discernible and fundamental differences between clocks, waves and physical states in classical physics. These fundamental concepts find a common expression in the context of quantum physics in gravitational fields; matter and light waves, quantum states and oscillator clocks become quantum synonymous through the Planck-Einstein-de Broglie relations and the equivalence principle. With this insight, gravitational effects on quantum systems can be simply and accurately analyzed. Apart from providing a transparent framework for conceptual and quantitative thinking on matter waves and quantum states in a gravitational field, we address and resolve with clarity the recent controversial discussions on the important issue of the relation and the crucial difference between gravimetery using atom interferometers and the measurement of gravitational time dilation.