Sensing Quantum Nature of Primordial Gravitational Waves Using Electromagnetic Probes

TL;DR

This paper proposes a formalism to detect primordial gravitational waves through their interaction with electromagnetic fields, revealing decoherence effects, spectral sidebands, and phase noise signatures that could be experimentally observable.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum interaction model between EM fields and primordial GWs, predicting measurable decoherence and spectral effects caused by inflationary PGWs.

Findings

Primordial GWs cause EM decoherence over a characteristic time scale.

Squeezed PGWs induce sidebands in the EM spectrum at specific frequencies.

Laser phase noise grows quadratically with time due to PGW influence.

Abstract

Based on optical medium analogy, we establish a formalism to describe the interaction between an electromagnetic (EM) system with gravitational waves (GWs) background. After a full discussion on the classical treatment of the EM-GW interaction and finding the EM field mode-functions in the presence of the magneto-dielectric media caused by GWs, the governing quantum interaction Hamiltonian is obtained. Investigation of the optical quadrature variance as well as the visibility of a laser field interacting with the multi-mode squeezed primordial gravitational waves imply that the inflationary primordial gravitational waves (PGWs) act as a decoherence mechanism that destroy EM coherency after a characteristic time scale, $\tau_{c}$, which depends on the inflationary parameters $(\beta,\beta_s,r)$, or equivalently, the fractional energy density of PGWs, $\Omega_{gw,0}$. The decoherency mechanism overcomes the coherent effects, such as revivals of optical squeezing, thus leaving their confirmation out of reach. Influenced by the continuum of the squeezed PGWs, the laser field suffers a line-width broadening by $\gamma= \tau_{\text{c}}^{-1}$. The most peculiar property of the EM spectrum is the apparition of side bands at $\omega\sim \omega_0\pm 1.39 \tau_c^{-1}$Hz, stemming from the squeezed nature of PGWs. The laser phase noise induced by the squeezed PGWs grows with time squarely, $\Delta\phi=(t/\tau_c)^2$, that can most possibly be sensed within a finite flight time.