Signatures of gravitational wave memory in the radiative process of entangled quantum probes

TL;DR

This paper investigates how entangled quantum probes can detect gravitational wave memory effects by analyzing their radiative responses, revealing potential methods to distinguish GW bursts with or without memory signatures.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach using entangled quantum probes to identify gravitational wave memory effects through their radiative processes, highlighting differences based on switching profiles.

Findings

Finite change in atomic transition rate due to GW memory with eternal switching.

Characteristic differences in radiative processes between GW with and without memory.

Memory effects dominate when Gaussian switching peaks after GW passage.

Abstract

In this article, we examine entangled quantum probes in geodesic trajectories in a flat background with a gravitational wave (GW) burst. In particular, these quantum probes are prepared initially either in the symmetric or anti-symmetric Bell's states, and we study the radiative process as the GW burst passes. We split a generic GW burst into two profiles with and without memory. GW burst with (without) memory profiles have different (similar) asymptotic strains between early and late times. We observe that for eternal switching, there is a finite change in the collective atomic transition rate due to the memory part of the GW burst, while the contribution from the without memory counterpart vanishes. We also consider finite Gaussian switching and observe characteristic differences in the radiative process between the GW backgrounds with and without memory. Notably, if the Gaussian switching is peaked much later compared to the passing of GW, only the memory part contributes to the radiative process. Thus, although examined in a simplified set-up, our findings suggest the potential to distinguish bursts with and without GW memory based on the radiative process of entangled detectors.