GUWAHATI, Sep 18: In a groundbreaking collaboration, researchers from Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G) and University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, are delving into one of the most profound mysteries in physics — the quantum nature of gravity.
The research, led by Bibhas Ranjan Majhi, associate professor, department of physics at IIT Guwahati, and Partha Nandi of the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, focuses on gravity-induced entanglement (GIE).
“This phenomenon has the potential to bridge two of the biggest pillars of modern science: general relativity and quantum mechanics. Their work aims to understand how gravity behaves at incredibly small scales, such as those of atoms and subatomic particles, where existing theories start to unravel,” a statement issued by IIT-G here on Wednesday said.
The findings of the research have been published in the journal, Physics Letters B.
“Physics currently operates under two separate frameworks. Albert Einstein’s general relativity explains how gravity works for massive objects. On the other hand, quantum mechanics governs the behaviour of particles on the atomic and subatomic levels. While both theories excel in their respective domains, they fail to align when it comes to explaining how gravity functions at the quantum level. This disconnect has left a significant gap, one that researchers hope to address through the pursuit of quantum gravity,” the statement said.
The research takes an innovative approach by studying how gravity might lead to entanglement, a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where two particles become linked, such that the state of one affects the other, regardless of the distance between them.
The concept of gravity-induced entanglement proposes that under certain conditions, gravitational forces may create this quantum connection, revealing a quantum aspect of gravity.
Discussing the research, Majhi said, “We have developed a theoretical framework that connects a two-dimensional quantum harmonic oscillator with gravitational waves — ripples in space-time caused by massive objects like black holes. This approach bypasses the limitations of classical communication methods and explores whether quantised gravitational waves can induce entanglement.”
“Our findings show that while classical gravitational waves do not generate entanglement, the quantum version of these waves does, at the second order of gravitational perturbation,” he said.
The research, the institute says, has far-reaching implications.
“If gravity-induced entanglement can be detected using gravitational wave detectors, it could provide the first evidence that gravity operates at a quantum level. Such a discovery could unlock other cosmic mysteries, such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy — two enigmatic components that make up most of the universe but are still poorly understood,” the statement added.