Probing minimal observable length with dark modes in an optomechanical detector

TL;DR

This paper proposes a quantum optomechanical method to detect minimal length scales predicted by quantum gravity theories, using bright-dark mode interference to amplify GUP effects and achieve high measurement resolution.

Contribution

It introduces a novel optomechanical framework leveraging bright-dark mode interference to measure generalized uncertainty principle effects at low energies.

Findings

Measurement resolution reaches $eta_{NL,lim}=10^{-16.75}$

Scheme is not limited by oscillator quality factor

Achieves 10 orders of magnitude improvement over electroweak scale

Abstract

Several theories that attempt to unify quantum theory and gravitational theory assume that space has an observable limiting resolution related to the Planck length, denoted by $\sqrt{\beta_0}L_p$. Quantum mechanically, this concept derives a generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) and the corresponding modified commutator. The prediction and observation of GUP-induced new physics, as well as the quantitative measurement of the value of $\beta_0$, may provide substantial support for the establishment of quantum gravity theory. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive quantum framework for measuring GUP at low energy scales by utilizing the interference-induced bright-dark mode effect of oscillators in an optomechanical system. The nonlinearity induced by GUP will be amplified by the bright mode dynamics, and then be quantitatively read out by the noise spectrum of the dark mode. The measurement limit resolution of the scheme is not constrained by the quality factor of the oscillator. Under experimentally achievable parameters, the measurement resolution has been shown to reach $\beta_{\text{NL,lim}}=10^{-16.75}$, which is $10$ orders of magnitude lower than the electroweak level.