Dr. Dennis Rätzel: Entanglement dynamics of photon pairs and quantum memories in the gravitational field of the earth

Abstract:

Understanding the interplay between two of our most fundamental theories - quantum mechanics and general relativity - has become one of the major challenges for physics. This problem can only be resolved through experiments or observations of phenomena at the interface of the two theories. In this talk, I will present a specific example of a phenomenon at the gravity-quantum interface: entanglement dynamics induced by gravity. I will focus on the case of frequency-entangled photons in different arms of a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer stored in quantum memories at different potential levels in the Earth’s gravitational field. I will analyze the effect of gravity on both the interference pattern and the entanglement between the photons. I will also discuss the prospects of observing the effect with state-of-the-art technology in space-based and ground-based experiments. At the end of my talk, I will give an outlook on future research, in particular on the development of models for quantum many-body systems in curved spacetime and some possible applications.