paper

Optomechanical analogy for a toy cosmology with a quantized scale factor

arXiv:1706.01292 · doi:10.3390/e19090485

Abstract

The simplest cosmology --- the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker-Lemaître (FRW) model --- describes a spatially homogeneous and isotropic universe where the scale factor is the only dynamical parameter. Here we consider how quantized electromagnetic fields become entangled with the scale factor in a toy version of the FRW model. A system consisting of a photon, source, and detector is described in such a universe, and we find that the detection of a redshifted photon by the detector system constrains possible scale factor superpositions. Thus, measuring the redshift of the photon is equivalent to a weak measurement of the underlying cosmology. We also consider a potential optomechanical analogy system that would enable experimental exploration of these concepts. The analogy focuses on the effects of photon redshift measurement as a quantum back-action on metric variables, where the position of a movable mirror plays the role of the scale factor. By working in the rotating frame, an effective Hubble equation can be simulated with a simple free moving mirror.

arXiv comment8 pages, 3 figures; updated figures to reduce confusion

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