Intrinsic measurement errors for the speed of light in vacuum
Daniel Braun, Fabienne Schneiter, Uwe R. Fischer
TL;DR
This paper establishes fundamental lower bounds on the measurement uncertainty of the speed of light in vacuum, offering insights into the limits of detecting quantum fluctuations of space-time.
Contribution
It combines quantum estimation theory and general relativity to rigorously derive bounds on how precisely the speed of light can be measured in a given region.
Findings
Lower bounds on measurement uncertainty of c in vacuum
Implications for testing quantum fluctuations of space-time
Provides a theoretical framework for experimental limits
Abstract
The speed of light in vacuum, one of the most important and precisely measured natural constants, is fixed by convention to m/s. Advanced theories predict possible deviations from this universal value, or even quantum fluctuations of . Combining arguments from quantum parameter estimation theory and classical general relativity, we here establish rigorously the existence of lower bounds on the uncertainty to which the speed of light in vacuum can be determined in a given region of space-time, subject to several reasonable restrictions. They provide a novel perspective on the experimental falsifiability of predictions for the quantum fluctuations of space-time.
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