Black Holes Decohere Quantum Superpositions

TL;DR

The paper demonstrates that black holes can cause decoherence in quantum superpositions of massive or charged bodies by radiating soft gravitons or photons, impacting quantum gravity theories.

Contribution

It introduces a mechanism where black holes induce decoherence in nearby quantum superpositions through soft radiation, a novel insight into black hole and quantum coherence interactions.

Findings

Decoherence time estimates for superpositions near black holes.

Black holes radiate soft gravitons or photons, destroying quantum coherence.

Implications for quantum gravity and black hole information understanding.

Abstract

We show that if a massive body is put in a quantum superposition of spatially separated states, the mere presence of a black hole in the vicinity of the body will eventually destroy the coherence of the superposition. This occurs because, in effect, the gravitational field of the body radiates soft gravitons into the black hole, allowing the black hole to acquire "which path" information about the superposition. A similar effect occurs for quantum superpositions of electrically charged bodies. We provide estimates of the decoherence time for such quantum superpositions. We believe that the fact that a black hole will eventually decohere any quantum superposition may be of fundamental significance for our understanding of the nature of black holes in a quantum theory of gravity.