arXiv · 2206.08769
Mass-energy equivalence in gravitationally bound quantum states of the neutron
Abstract
Gravitationally bound neutrons have become an important tool in the experimental searches for new physics, such as modifications to Newton's force or candidates for dark matter particles. Here we include the relativistic effects of mass-energy equivalence into the model of gravitationally bound neutrons. Specifically, we investigate a correction in a gravitationally bound neutron's Hamiltonian due to the presence of an external magnetic field. We show that the neutron's additional weight due to mass-energy equivalence will cause a small shift in the neutron's eigenenergies and eigenstates, and examine how this relativistic correction would affect experiments with trapped neutrons. We further consider the ultimate precision in estimating the relativistic correction to the precession frequency and find that, at short times, a joint measurement of both the spin and motional degrees of freedom provides a metrological enhancement as compared to a measurement of the spin alone.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Germain Tobar, Simon Haine, Fabio Costa, Magdalena Zych. 2022-06-17. Mass-energy equivalence in gravitationally bound quantum states of the neutron. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.106.052801
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.