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Fundamental limit on angular measurements and rotations from quantum mechanics and general relativity

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-12, 08:13 authored by Xavier CalmetXavier Calmet, Stephen D H Hsu
We show that the precision of an angular measurement or rotation (e.g., on the orientation of a qubit or spin state) is limited by fundamental constraints arising from quantum mechanics and general relativity (gravitational collapse). The limiting precision is r-1 in Planck units, where r is the physical extent of the (possibly macroscopic) device used to manipulate the spin state. This fundamental limitation means that spin states S1 and S2 cannot be experimentally distinguished from each other if they differ by a sufficiently small rotation. Experiments cannot exclude the possibility that the space of quantum state vectors (i.e., Hilbert space) is fundamentally discrete, rather than continuous. We discuss the implications for finitism: does physics require infinity or a continuum?

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Physics Letters B

ISSN

0370-2693

Publisher

Elsevier

Volume

823

Page range

1-4

Article number

a136763

Department affiliated with

  • Physics and Astronomy Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2021-12-16

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-12-16

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2021-12-15

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