Experimental test of photonic entanglement in accelerated reference frames

TL;DR

This study experimentally tests the robustness of photonic entanglement under various accelerations, including free-fall and centrifuge conditions, providing insights into quantum behavior in accelerated frames.

Contribution

First systematic experimental investigation of photonic entanglement in accelerated reference frames, bridging quantum optics and gravitational effects.

Findings

Entanglement remains robust under accelerations from 30 mg to 30 g.

Established an upper bound on acceleration effects on photonic entanglement.

Demonstrated entanglement testing in both free-fall and centrifuge conditions.

Abstract

The quantization of the electromagnetic field has successfully paved the way for the development of the Standard Model of Particle Physics and has established the basis for quantum technologies. Gravity, however, continues to hold out against physicists' efforts of including it into the framework of quantum theory. Experimental techniques in quantum optics have only recently reached the precision and maturity required for the investigation of quantum systems under the influence of gravitational fields. Here, we report on experiments in which a genuine quantum state of an entangled photon pair was exposed to a series of different accelerations. We measure an entanglement witness for $g$ values ranging from 30 mg to up to 30 g - under free-fall as well on a spinning centrifuge - and have thus derived an upper bound on the effects of uniform acceleration on photonic entanglement. Our work represents the first quantum optics experiment in which entanglement is systematically tested in geodesic motion as well as in accelerated reference frames with acceleration a>>g = 9.81 m/s^2.