• Open Access

Quantum time dilation in atomic spectra

Piotr T. Grochowski, Alexander R. H. Smith, Andrzej Dragan, and Kacper Dębski
Phys. Rev. Research 3, 023053 – Published 19 April 2021

Abstract

Quantum time dilation occurs when a clock moves in a superposition of relativistic momentum wave packets. The lifetime of an excited hydrogenlike atom can be used as a clock, which we use to demonstrate how quantum time dilation manifests in a spontaneous emission process. The resulting emission rate differs when compared with the emission rate of an atom prepared in a mixture of momentum wave packets at order v2/c2. This effect is accompanied by a quantum correction to the Doppler shift due to the coherence between momentum wave packets. This quantum Doppler shift affects the spectral line shape at order v/c. However, its effect on the decay rate is suppressed when compared with the effect of quantum time dilation. We argue that spectroscopic experiments offer a technologically feasible platform to explore the effects of quantum time dilation.

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  • Received 7 July 2020
  • Accepted 10 February 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.023053

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & OpticalQuantum Information, Science & Technology

Authors & Affiliations

Piotr T. Grochowski1,*, Alexander R. H. Smith2,3,†, Andrzej Dragan4,5,‡, and Kacper Dębski4,§

  • 1Center for Theoretical Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
  • 2Department of Physics, Saint Anselm College, Manchester, New Hampshire 03102, USA
  • 3Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA
  • 4Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
  • 5Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543, Singapore

  • *piotr@cft.edu.pl
  • arhsmith@anselm.edu
  • dragan@fuw.edu.pl
  • §kdebski@fuw.edu.pl

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Vol. 3, Iss. 2 — April - June 2021

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