Gravitational and Relativistic Deflection of X-Ray Superradiance

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel x-ray quantum optics method to detect gravitational and relativistic effects on light-matter interaction at a millimeter scale, using nuclear crystals in Earth's gravity or rotation.

Contribution

It introduces a new tabletop scheme for observing relativistic redshift and time dilation effects in quantum systems using x-ray photons and nuclear crystals.

Findings

X-ray photon deflections reveal relativistic and gravitational effects.

The method enables direct probing of gravity's influence on quantum light-matter interactions.

It offers a feasible experimental setup for studying relativity in quantum physics.

Abstract

Exploring Einstein's theories of relativity in quantum systems, for example by using atomic clocks at high speeds can deepen our knowledge in physics. However, many challenges still remain on finding novel methods for detecting effects of gravity and of special relativity and their roles in light-matter interaction. Here we introduce a scheme of x-ray quantum optics that allows for a millimeter scale investigation of the relativistic redshift by directly probing a fixed nuclear crystal in Earth's gravitational field with x-rays. Alternatively, a compact rotating crystal can be used to force interacting x-rays to experience inhomogeneous clock tick rates in a crystal. We find that an association of gravitational or special-relativistic time dilation with quantum interference will be manifested by deflections of x-ray photons. Our protocol suggests a new and feasible tabletop solution for probing effects of gravity and special relativity in the quantum world.