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Detection of quantum-vacuum field correlations outside the light cone

Author

Listed:
  • Francesca Fabiana Settembrini

    (ETH Zurich, Institute of Quantum Electronics)

  • Frieder Lindel

    (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg)

  • Alexa Marina Herter

    (ETH Zurich, Institute of Quantum Electronics)

  • Stefan Yoshi Buhmann

    (Universität Kassel)

  • Jérôme Faist

    (ETH Zurich, Institute of Quantum Electronics)

Abstract

According to quantum field theory, empty space—the ground state with all real excitations removed—is not empty, but filled with quantum-vacuum fluctuations. Their presence can manifest itself through phenomena such as the Casimir force, spontaneous emission, or dispersion forces. These fluctuating fields possess correlations between space-time points outside the light cone, i.e. points causally disconnected according to special relativity. As a consequence, two initially uncorrelated quantum objects in empty space which are located in causally disconnected space-time regions, and therefore unable to exchange information, can become correlated. Here, we have experimentally demonstrated the existence of correlations of the vacuum fields for non-causally connected space-time points by using electro-optic sampling. This result is obtained by detecting vacuum-induced correlations between two 195 fs laser pulses separated by a time of flight of 470 fs. This work marks a first step in analyzing the space-time structure of vacuum correlations in quantum field theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesca Fabiana Settembrini & Frieder Lindel & Alexa Marina Herter & Stefan Yoshi Buhmann & Jérôme Faist, 2022. "Detection of quantum-vacuum field correlations outside the light cone," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-5, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-31081-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31081-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. C. Riek & P. Sulzer & M. Seeger & A. S. Moskalenko & G. Burkard & D. V. Seletskiy & A. Leitenstorfer, 2017. "Subcycle quantum electrodynamics," Nature, Nature, vol. 541(7637), pages 376-379, January.
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