Quantum effects in rotating reference frames

Abstract

T. C. Ralph Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia (Dated: February 14, 2022) Abstract We consider the time delay of interfering single photons oppositely travelling in the Kerr metric of a rotating massive object. Classically, the time delay shows up as a phase difference between coherent sources of light. In quantum mechanics, the loss in visibility due to the indistinguishability of interfering photons is directly related to the time delay. We can thus observe the Kerr frame dragging effect using the HongOu-Mandel (HOM) dip, a purely quantum mechanical effect. By Einstein’s equivalence principle, we can analogously consider a rotating turntable to simulate the Kerr metric. We look at the feasibility of such an experiment using optical fibre, and note a cancellation in the second order dispersion but a direction dependent difference in group velocity. However, for the chosen experimental parameters, we can effectively assume light propagating through a vacuum.