Comment on “Measurement of quantum states of neutrons in the Earth’s gravitational field”
- 18 November 2003
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review D
- Vol. 68 (10) , 108701
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.68.108701
Abstract
In the paper by Nesvizhevsky et al. [Phys. Rev. D 67, 102002 (2003)], it is argued that the lowest quantum state of neutrons in the Earth’s gravitational field has been experimentally identified. While this is most likely correct, it is imperative to investigate all alternative explanations of the result in order to close all loopholes, as it is the first experiment ever claimed to have observed gravitational quantum states. Here we show that geometrical effects in the experimental setup can mimic the results attributed to gravity. Modifications of the experimental setup to close these possible loopholes are suggested.Keywords
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This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Measurement of quantum states of neutrons in the Earth’s gravitational fieldPhysical Review D, 2003
- Ultracold Neutrons Exhibit Quantum States in the Earth’s Gravitational FieldPhysics Today, 2002
- Quantum states of neutrons in the Earth's gravitational fieldNature, 2002