Gravitons to Photons -- attenuation of gravitational waves

Abstract

In this essay we examine the response of an Unruh-DeWitt detector (a quantum two-level system) to a gravitational wave background. The spectrum of the Unruh-Dewitt detector is of the same form as some scattering processes or three body decays such as muon-electron scattering or muon decay. Based on this similarity we propose that the Unruh-DeWitt detector response implies a "decay" or attenuation of gravitons, $G$, into photons, $\gamma$, via $G+G\to \gamma +\gamma$ or $G\to \gamma +\gamma +G$. Over large distances such a decay/attenuation may have consequences in regard to the detection of gravitational waves.

8 pages, 0 figures. "Honorable mention" in the 2015 Gravity Research Foundation Essay Contest. Acknowledgment added. Published version

References in corpus (2)

• On the relation between Unruh and Sokolov--Ternov effects
• Graviton mediated photon-photon scattering in general relativity

Cited by in corpus (12)

• Gravitational Waves in Effective Quantum Gravity
• Particle production in a gravitational wave background
• Variations of the Energy of Free Particles in the pp-Wave Spacetimes
• Scalar field vacuum expectation value induced by gravitational wave background
• A new approach to detecting gravitational waves via the coupling of gravity to the zero-point energy of the phonon modes of a superconductor
• Low frequency electromagnetic radiation coming from gravitational waves generated by neutron stars
• Interaction between gravitational radiation and electromagnetic radiation
• Graviton-photon oscillation in alternative theories of gravity
• Quantum break in high intensity gravitational wave interactions
• Gravity's light in the shadow of the Moon
• Diffractions from the brane and GW150914
• Signatures of electromagnetic and sound radiation produced by gravitational waves in core-collapse supernovae