An Optomechanical Quantum Cavendish Experiment

TL;DR

This paper proposes an optomechanical experiment to observe gravitational effects at the quantum level using two micro-mechanical oscillators, aiming to detect shifts in photon interference visibility caused by gravity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel experimental setup combining cavity optomechanics and gravitational interaction to explore quantum gravity effects.

Findings

Gravitational coupling causes measurable shifts in interference visibility.

The proposed experiment is feasible with current technology.

Gravitational interaction affects entanglement between oscillators.

Abstract

An open question in experimental physics is the characterization of gravitational effects in quantum regimes. We propose an experimental set-up that uses well-tested techniques in cavity optomechanics to observe the effects of the gravitational interaction between two micro-mechanical oscillators on the interference of the cavity photons through the shifts in the visibility of interfering photons. The gravitational coupling leads to a shift in the period and magnitude of the visibility whose observability is within reach of current technology. We discuss the feasibility of the set-up as well as the effects on entanglement due to gravitational interaction.