Time and Matter in the Interaction between Gravity and Quantum Fluids: Are there Macroscopic Quantum Transducers between Gravitational and Electromagnetic waves?

Abstract

Measurements of the tunneling time are briefly reviewed. Next, time and matter in general relativity and quantum mechanics is examined. In particular, the question arises: How does gravitational radiation interact with a coherent quantum many-body system (a ``quantum fluid'')? A minimal coupling rule for the coupling of the electron spin to curved spacetime in general relativity implies the possibility of a coupling between electromagnetic (EM) and gravitational (GR) radiation mediated by a quantum Hall fluid. This suggests that quantum transducers between these two kinds of radiation fields might exist. We report here on a first attempt at a Hertz-type experiment, in which a high-$\rm{T_c}$ superconductor (YBCO) was the material used as a quantum transducer to convert EM into GR microwaves, and a second piece of YBCO in a separate apparatus was used to back-convert GR into EM microwaves. An upper limit on the conversion efficiency of YBCO was measured to be $1.6\times10^{-5}$.