Comprehending the randomness of quantum mechanics is required to discuss the behavior of matter and light on a subatomic scale.Pursuit of Quantum GravityFor decades, scientists have been attempting to unify those 2 fields of study to accomplish a quantum description of gravity.” This non-observation of a quantum geometry of spacetime is an effective statement about the still-unknown physics that operate at the user interface of quantum physics and general relativity.” For more on this research study, see Neutrinos Whisper Quantum Gravity Secrets From the South Pole.Reference: “Search for decoherence from quantum gravity with atmospheric neutrinos” by The IceCube Collaboration, 26 March 2024, Nature Physics.DOI: 10.1038/ s41567-024-02436-w.
IceCube laboratory under the stars in Antarctica. Credit: Martin Wolf, IceCube/NSFResearch at the South Pole studied the mystical quantum structure of area and time.Einsteins theory of general relativity describes that gravity is triggered by a curvature of the instructions of area and time. The most familiar manifestation of this is the Earths gravity, which keeps us on the ground and describes why balls fall to the flooring and people have weight when stepping on a scale.In the field of high-energy physics, on the other hand, scientists research study small unnoticeable things that follow the laws of quantum mechanics– defined by random fluctuations that produce unpredictability in the positions and energies of particles like neutrons, electrons, and protons. Comprehending the randomness of quantum mechanics is required to explain the habits of matter and light on a subatomic scale.Pursuit of Quantum GravityFor decades, scientists have been attempting to unite those two disciplines to accomplish a quantum description of gravity. This would integrate the physics of curvature connected with general relativity with the mysterious random variations connected with quantum mechanics.A brand-new research study in Nature Physics from physicists at The University of Texas at Arlington reports on a deep new probe into the user interface in between these two theories, utilizing ultra-high energy neutrino particles identified by a particle detector set deep into the Antarctic glacier at the south pole.Finally the DOM comes down into the array where it can begin taking information. Credit: Mark Krasberg, IceCube/NSFExperimental Efforts in Antarctica” The difficulty of unifying quantum mechanics with the theory of gravitation remains one of the most pressing unsolved issues in physics,” said co-author Benjamin Jones, associate teacher of physics. “If the gravitational field behaves in a similar method to the other fields in nature, its curvature ought to exhibit random quantum fluctuations.” Jones and UTA graduate students Akshima Negi and Grant Parker were part of a global IceCube Collaboration team that included more than 300 scientists from around the U.S., in addition to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.Benjamin Jones, associate professor of physics at The University of Texas at Arlington. Credit: UT ArlingtonTo look for signatures of quantum gravity, the group put thousands of sensors throughout one square kilometer near the south pole in Antarctica that kept track of neutrinos, plentiful however uncommon subatomic particles that are neutral in charge and have no mass. The team was able to study more than 300,000 neutrinos. They were looking to see whether these ultra-high-energy particles were troubled by random quantum changes in spacetime that would be anticipated if gravity were quantum mechanical, as they take a trip long distances across the Earth.Results of Neutrino Observations” We looked for those fluctuations by studying the flavors of neutrinos spotted by the IceCube Observatory,” Negi stated. “Our work led to a measurement that was even more delicate than previous ones (over a million times more, for some of the models), however it did not discover proof of the anticipated quantum gravitational results.” This non-observation of a quantum geometry of spacetime is a powerful declaration about the still-unknown physics that operate at the interface of quantum physics and basic relativity.” This analysis represents the last chapter in UTAs nearly decade-long contribution to the IceCube Observatory,” said Jones. “My group is now pursuing new experiments that aim to comprehend the origin and value of the neutrinos mass utilizing atomic, molecular, and optical physics strategies.” For more on this research study, see Neutrinos Whisper Quantum Gravity Secrets From the South Pole.Reference: “Search for decoherence from quantum gravity with atmospheric neutrinos” by The IceCube Collaboration, 26 March 2024, Nature Physics.DOI: 10.1038/ s41567-024-02436-w.
