Topological signature of the quantum nature of gravity from the Pancharatnam phase in dual Stern-Gerlach interferometers

TL;DR

This paper proposes using the Pancharatnam phase in dual Stern-Gerlach interferometers to distinguish between semiclassical and quantum gravity, with entanglement indicating quantum nature.

Contribution

It introduces a method to qualitatively differentiate semiclassical from quantum gravity using topological phase signatures in interferometry.

Findings

Phase jumps occur in semiclassical gravity, consistent with geodesic rule.

Continuous phase in quantum gravity indicates entanglement-induced quantum effects.

Pancharatnam phase serves as a qualitative indicator of gravity's quantum nature.

Abstract

Entanglement plays a central role in the fundamental tests and practical applications of quantum mechanics. Because entanglement is a feature unique to quantum systems, its observations provide evidence of quantumness. Hence, if gravity can generate entanglement between quantum superpositions, this indicates that quantum amplitudes are field sources and that gravity is quantum. I study the dual spin-one-half Stern-Gerlach interferometers and show that the Pancharatnam phase is a tool that qualitatively distinguishes semiclassical from quantum gravity. The semiclassical evolution is equivalent to that of two independent interferometers in an external field. In this case, a phase jump was observed, as expected from the geodesic rule, which dictates the noncyclic evolution in the Bloch sphere. By contrast, in the quantum case, the quantum amplitudes are the sources of the gravitational field, inducing entanglement between the two interferometers, and the phase is continuous.