Test of Quantum Gravity in Optical Magnetometers

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential to detect quantum gravity effects using high-precision optical magnetometers by analyzing how atomic motion influences the Larmor frequency, suggesting feasible experimental detection methods.

Contribution

It estimates quantum gravity effects in magnetometers and proposes experimental setups to observe these effects through atomic motion and magnetic resonance measurements.

Findings

Thermal atomic motion can produce measurable quantum gravity effects.

Quantum gravity effects may be detectable if atomic velocities are influenced by other mechanisms.

Design of an optical magnetometer experiment to search for quantum gravity effects is underway.

Abstract

In this work, quantum gravity effects, which can potentially be measured in magnetometers through the Larmor frequency of atoms in an external magnetic field, are estimated. It is shown that the thermal motion of atoms can, in principle, produce measurable quantum gravity effects, given the precision of modern magnetometers. If the particle velocities are caused by some other mechanism, such as convection, it is shown that the quantum gravity effects may be observed with the magnetometer's proposed detection threshold. An actual state-of-the-art optical magnetometer experiment is being designed to search for these effects and is described in a companion paper by Maldaner et al. (2023) [1].