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Chiara Marletto

Publications and source records attributed to Chiara Marletto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Universal quantum theory from dynamical consistency

We argue for the universality of quantum theory using a dynamical consistency argument, within a specific Hamiltonian setting. We analyse two different types of coupling between simple quantum harmonic oscillators. Each illustrates an aspect of the free and interacting quantum fields and shows the inadequacy of semiclassical models. In particular, we establish that requiring the canonical algebra to be preserved under joint unitary dynamics rules out specific hybrid classical-quantum models. We apply our reasoning to the gravitational field in the linear regime, coupled to the quantised electromagnetic field and, separately, to quantised matter. We conclude with a comparison to DeWitt's analysis of quantum measurement, in which the apparatus, if classical, must be at least stochastic to preserve the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. We also note that stochastic models are inconsistent with the strict version of conservation principles, even if they comply with a probabilistic (on average) conservation.

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arXiv2026

Repulsive Gravitational Force as a Witness of the Quantum Nature of Gravity

We show that a single spatially superposed 'source' mass acting on a 'probe' matter wavepacket can reveal the quantum nature of the gravitational field. For this we use a specific state preparation and measurement of the superposed source mass, including a postselection, which altogether results in a repulsive gravitational force on the probe particle. A classical gravitational field can never lead to repulsion, as the effect requires quantum interference of two distinct states of gravity. The eventual observation of such an effect would be a violation of Einstein's theory of general relativity, where gravity is always attractive. We also present a calculation in the Heisenberg picture under the formalism of weak values that illustrates how repulsion is achieved. Finally, we estimate the range of parameters (masses and the spatio-temporal extent of interference) for which the experiment is feasible.

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arXiv2026

Constructor theory of time

Constructor theory asserts that the laws of physics are expressible as specifications of which transformations of physical systems can or cannot be brought about with unbounded accuracy by devices capable of operating in a cycle ('constructors'). Hence, in particular, such specifications cannot refer to time. Thus, laws expressed in constructor-theoretic form automatically avoid the anomalous properties of time in traditional formulations of fundamental theories. But that raises the problem of how they can nevertheless give meaning to duration and dynamics, and thereby be compatible with traditionally formulated laws. Here we show how.

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arXiv2026

Tests of constructor theory

Constructor theory is a proposal to extend quantum information theory beyond both quantum theory and computation, to cover more general machines than programmable computers -- called constructors. It consists of newly conjectured physical principles that can be expressed as constraints on what tasks are possible, what are impossible, and why. These principles also determine the repertoire of the universal constructor, which is a programmable machine that can perform all physically possible tasks. The principles of constructor theory have novel physical content that supplements current dynamical laws, leading to new predictions for experimental tests. In this paper, we review the main experimental proposals to test the principles of constructor theory and discuss their implications for existing theories of physics and for their successors.

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arXiv2026

Collapse-based models for gravity do not violate the entanglement-based witness of non-classicality

It is known that an entanglement-based witness of non-classicality can be applied to testing quantum effects in gravity. Specifically, if a system can create entanglement between two quantum probes by local means only, then it must be non-classical. Recently, claims have been made that collapse-based models of classical gravity, i.e. Diósi-Penrose model, can predict gravitationally induced entanglement between quantum objects, resulting in gravitationally induced entanglement is insufficient to conclude that gravity is fundamentally quantum, contrary to the witness statement. Here we vindicate the witness. We analyze the underlying physics of collapse-based models for gravity and show that these models have nonlocal features, violating the principle of locality.

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arXiv2026

Role of non-classicality in mediated spatial quantum correlations

The study of non-classicality is essential to understand the quantum-to-classical transition in physical systems. Recently, a witness of non-classicality has been proposed, linking the ability of a system (``the mediator") to create quantum correlations between two quantum probes with its non-classicality, intended as the existence of at least two non-commuting variables. Here, we propose a new inequality that quantitatively links the increase in quantum correlations between the probes to a function of the non-commutativity of the mediator's observables. We test the inequality for various degrees of non-classicality of the mediator, from fully quantum to fully classical. This quantum-to-classical transition is simulated via a phase-flip channel applied to the mediator, inducing an effective reduction of the non-commutativity of its variables. Our results provide a general framework for witnessing non-classicality, assessing the non-classicality of a system via its intrinsic properties, independently of the specific chosen interaction dynamics.

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arXiv2026

Conservation Laws and the Non-Classicality of Gravity

We analyze the interaction between quantum matter and classical objects through a general effective channel for hybrid dynamics, subject to the fundamental constraint that no quantum correlations can be generated between the classical and quantum sectors from any initially separable state. We demonstrate that, within this hybrid framework, imposing an additive conserved observable $\langle O_{QC} \rangle = \langle O_Q \rangle + \langle O_C \rangle$ strictly forbids a classical system from altering the local observable $\langle O_Q \rangle$ of its quantum counterpart. Applying this no-go theorem to gravity, under the assumption of such hybrid dynamics, we show that if global momentum or energy is conserved, a strictly classical gravitational field cannot induce momentum or energy transfers in a quantum system. In contrast, a quantum gravitational field naturally facilitates such back-action. Drawing upon the fundamental relationship between conservation laws and the quantum properties of objects, our analysis provides a novel perspective for interpreting existing experimental observations, such as free fall, as potential indicators of the non-classicality of gravity.

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arXiv2025

Observation of quantum free fall and the consistency with the equivalence principle

The unification of quantum theory and the general theory of relativity - describing gravity, is one of the most important challenges in science. Einstein's general theory of relativity is based on the principle of equivalence, and has been confirmed to great accuracy for large bodies. However, in the quantum domain the equivalence principle has been predicted to take a unique form involving a gauge phase, equal to the quantum phase of a free-falling object. To measure this phase, we realize a novel cold-atom interferometer in which one wave-packet stays static in the laboratory frame while the other is in free fall. The observed relative-phase of the wave-packets confirms the predicted phase of a free-falling object, and shows that in our low energy regime, the equivalence principle may be applied to the quantum domain. Our observation constitutes a fundamental test of the interface between quantum theory and gravity. The new interferometer also opens the door for further probing of the latter interface, as well as to searches for new physics.

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arXiv2025

Classical gravity cannot mediate entanglement

In Nature, 646, 813 (2025), Aziz and Howl claim that classical (unquantised) gravity produces entanglement. We show that their model does not produce entanglement. Even if the model produced entanglement, it would be mediated by the quantised matter interaction, and not gravity. Hence entanglement mediated by gravity remains an unambiguous witness of gravity's quantum features.

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arXiv2025

Classical Gravity Cannot Mediate Entanglement by Local Means

We rebut a recent paper that claims that classical gravity can entangle two massive superpositions by local means. We refute the misconceptions appearing in this paper and confirm that the quantum features are necessary in the gravitational field if it can lead to entanglement by local propagation between distant masses.

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arXiv2025

A Spin-Based Pathway to Testing the Quantum Nature of Gravity

A key open problem in physics is the correct way to combine gravity (described by general relativity) with everything else (described by quantum mechanics). This problem suggests that general relativity and possibly also quantum mechanics need fundamental corrections. Most physicists expect that gravity should be quantum in character, but gravity is fundamentally different to the other forces because it alone is described by spacetime geometry. Experiments are needed to test whether gravity, and hence space-time, is quantum or classical. We propose an experiment to test the quantum nature of gravity by checking whether gravity can entangle two micron-sized crystals. A pathway to this is to create macroscopic quantum superpositions of each crystal first using embedded spins and Stern-Gerlach forces. These crystals could be nanodiamonds containing nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres. The spins can subsequently be measured to witness the gravitationally generated entanglement. This is based on extensive theoretical feasibility studies and experimental progress in quantum technology. The eventual experiment will require a medium-sized consortium with excellent suppression of decoherence including vibrations and gravitational noise. In this white paper, we review the progress and plans towards realizing this. While implementing these plans, we will further explore the most macroscopic superpositions that are possible, which will test theories that predict a limit to this.

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arXiv2025

Can entanglement be mediated by a Koopmanian system?

We present a method for coupling a Koopmanian classical system to two quantum bits to mediate an interaction between them. We then prove that the resulting dynamics can never lead to entanglement between the two qubits. Even though the total system of two qubits and the Koopmanian classical system are described with the full quantum formalism, we show that their composite system violates exact conservation laws as expected for a hybrid quantum-classical system. We finally discuss the implications for semi-classical treatments of quantum gravity.

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arXiv2025

Bose-Marletto-Vedral experiment without observable spacetime superpositions

Reconciling quantum mechanics and general relativity remains one of the most profound challenges in modern physics. The BMV (Bose-Marletto-Vedral) experiment can assess the quantum nature of gravity by testing whether gravitational interactions can generate entanglement between quantum systems. In this work, we show that entanglement can be generated by gravity without requiring spacetime superpositions or quantum spacetime degrees of freedom by using mediators that do not satisfy the usual property of local tomography when coupling to quantum matter. Specifically, we showcase how entanglement can be generated using three distinct toy models that display non-locally tomographic couplings between quantum matter and a locally classical gravitational mediator. These models include (i) fermionic systems with the parity superselection rule, (ii) non-Abelian anyonic systems, and (iii) a novel bit anti-bit model. Our results demonstrate a crucial point: a gravitational mediator which does not exhibit superpositions of its classical basis but still qualifies as non-classical via non-locally tomographic coupling mechanisms can generate entanglement through local interactions. This work also underscores the importance of relaxing local tomography in exploring the quantum-gravitational interface. It provides a novel perspective on the role of spacetime degrees of freedom in entanglement generation through local interactions.

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arXiv2025

Temporal Entanglement and Witnesses of Non-Classicality

The universality of quantum theory has been questioned ever since it was proposed. Key to this long-unsolved question is to test whether a given physical system has non-classical features. Here we connect recently proposed witnesses of non-classicality, based on information-theoretic ideas, with the theory of temporal entanglement. We provide a protocol to witness the non-classicality of a system by probing it with a qubit: we show that, assuming a general conservation law, violating temporal Bell inequalities on the qubit probe implies the non-classicality of the system under investigation. We also perform proof-of-principle experimental emulations of the proposed witness of non-classicality, using a three qubit Nuclear Magnetic Resonance quantum computer. Our result is robust, as it relies on minimal assumptions, and remarkably it can be applied in a broad range of contexts, from quantum biology to quantum gravity.

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arXiv2025

Interference in complex canonical variables is not quantum

We formally represent the quantum interference of a single qubit embodied by a photon in the Mach-Zehnder interferometer using the classical Hamiltonian framework but with complex canonical variables. Although all operations on a single qubit can be formally expressed using the complex classical Hamiltonian dynamics, we show that the resulting system is still not a proper qubit. The reason is that it is not capable of getting entangled to another bona fide qubit and hence it does not have the information-processing capacity of a fully-fledged quantum system. This simple example powerfully illustrates the failure of all hybrid quantum-classical models in accounting for the full range of behaviour of even a single quantum bit.

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arXiv2024

On the Role of Locality in the Bose-Marletto-Vedral Effect

Two of us recently proposed an entanglement-based witness of non-classicality, which can be applied to testing quantum effects in gravity in what is known as the Bose-Marletto-Vedral (BMV) effect. The witness is based on this idea: if a system can create entanglement between two quantum probes by local means only, then it must be non-classical. In this note we discuss the role of locality as an assumption for the theorem supporting the witness; we also discuss other related notions of locality and comment on their mutual relations.

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arXiv2024

The Bose-Marletto-Vedral experiment with nanodiamond interferometers: an insight on entanglement detection

Recently, it has been proposed a new method [arXiv:2405.21029] to detect quantum gravity effects, based on generating gravitational entanglement between two nano-diamonds with Nitrogen-Vacancy defects, in a magnetically trapped configuration. Here we analyse in detail the proposed experimental setup, with a particular focus on implementing the detection of the gravitationally-induced entanglement using an optical readout based on measuring the position of the nano-diamonds and its complementary basis. We also summarise some of the key theoretical and experimental ideas on which this proposed scheme is based.

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