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Luciano Petruzziello

Publications and source records attributed to Luciano Petruzziello.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

White paper: 1-10 Hz matter-wave interferometer to test the spin entanglement witness for quantum gravity

In this white paper, we highlight the importance of the ($1-10~{\rm Hz}$) frequency range for laboratory tests of the quantum nature of gravity using the quantum gravity-induced entanglement of masses (QGEM) protocol. QGEM requires matter-wave interferometers with masses ($m\sim10^{-15}-10^{-14}~{\rm kg}$), brought within separations ($d\sim30-50~μ{\rm m}$), while maintaining spatial superpositions of ($1-20~μ{\rm m}$) and coherence for ($τ\sim 0.1 - 1~{\rm s}$). These requirements make low-frequency environmental noise a central experimental challenge and place QGEM in a regime closely related to the low-frequency goals of the Einstein Telescope (ET) and the Cosmic Explorer (CE). In particular, QGEM is sensitive to relative acceleration noise (RAN) and to gravity-gradient noise (GGN) generated by seismic and other environmental mass-density fluctuations. For representative parameters $m=10^{-14}~{\rm kg}$, $Δx=10~μ{\rm m}$, and $τ=1~{\rm s}$, the differential acceleration-noise amplitude spectral density must be suppressed well below the $10^{-15}~{\rm m\,s^{-2}/\sqrt{Hz}}$ level to keep acceleration-induced dephasing below the relevant experimental scale. Achieving this level of low-frequency noise suppression is therefore a key requirement for QGEM and closely parallels the seismic and gravity-gradient noise challenges that ET and CE address.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2026

No-signaling-in-time condition for three-flavor neutrino oscillations

Macrorealism is a fundamental concept in quantum foundations, capturing basic features of our everyday experience. Among the main tools introduced to test violations of macrorealism are the Leggett-Garg inequalities. These inequalities provide necessary and sufficient conditions for a certain data set including the correlators measured in a number of different experimental runs (weak version of macrorealism). Leggett-Garg inequalities have proved useful for detecting violations of macrorealism in neutrino oscillation experiments. However, it is interesting to investigate a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for strong macrorealism - no-signaling-in-time and arrow-of-time conditions - in order to obtain a more complete characterization of macrorealism in the context of neutrino oscillations. In particular, here we extend previous study of the no-signaling-in-time condition to the case of three-flavor neutrino oscillations, including the CP-violating phase of the Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata matrix.

hep-th↗
arXiv2026

Relativistic Gravity-Induced Entanglement via Frame Dragging

Gravity-induced entanglement has been proposed as a method for testing the non-classical nature of gravity via tabletop experiments. While most existing proposals are restricted to the Newtonian limit, the frame dragging effect offers access to genuinely post-Newtonian features of the gravitational interaction and remains comparatively less explored. Here, we study gravity-induced entanglement generated by frame dragging in an interferometric setting and compute the entanglement phase between the rotational degrees of freedom of a source mass and the paths of a particle in two complementary ways: (i) via Schrödinger evolution with a quantized Lense-Thirring Hamiltonian in the large angular momentum limit, and (ii) via the on-shell action of linearized quantum gravity within the stationary phase approximation. Both approaches yield the same entanglement phase, consistent with the proper time difference between the interferometer arms. The path integral derivation further reveals how gravitational retardation modifies the entanglement phase, thereby making the local, relativistically causal linearized-gravity description explicit. Under the standard locality/mediator assumptions used in existing arguments, the resulting entanglement would witness non-classicality of the gravitational interaction.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2026

A post-Newtonian Gravitational Collapse Model from Linearized Gravity

We introduce a general gravity-related collapse mechanism based on linearized gravity. Starting from the weak-field limit of general relativity, gravitoelectromagnetism suggests an effective coupling between the gravitoelectric potential and the mass density distribution. At the same time, it provides a similar relation for the gravitomagnetic vector potential and the mass current. Following a hybrid (classical-quantum) dynamics approach, these couplings lead to a master equation whose non-unitary part is determined by the underlying mass distribution and currents. When the gravitoelectric potential coupling is considered, the well-known Diósi-Penrose collapse model acting on positional degrees of freedom is recovered. However, upon including the gravitomagnetic vector potential, additional collapse mechanisms emerge for rotational degrees of freedom as well as for mixed mass-rotation contributions.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2026

Angular Momentum Entanglement Mediated By General Relativistic Frame Dragging

Current proposals to probe the quantum nature of gravity in the low-energy regime predominantly focus on the Newtonian interaction term. In this work, we present a theoretical exploration of gravitationally mediated entanglement arising from a genuinely general relativistic effect: frame dragging. This interaction gives rise to an effective dipolar coupling between the angular momenta of two rotating, spherically symmetric masses, allowing entanglement generation between angular momentum degrees of freedom. We represent the quantum states by angular momentum eigenstates and show that, while the maximal entangling rate is achieved for highly delocalized initial states, non-negligible quantum correlations can still emerge even when the initial states are not prepared in superposition. We then analyze the robustness of the resulting entanglement in the presence of common noise sources, explicitly acknowledging the challenges associated with a potential implementation. We also note that, for spherically symmetric masses, angular momentum degrees of freedom are intrinsically insensitive to Casimir and Coulomb interactions, thereby mitigating key decoherence channels present in existing proposals. Finally, we discuss possible state preparation and detection strategies while framing our results within the broader landscape of gravitationally mediated entanglement schemes, emphasizing the role of this framework as a conceptual avenue for exploring genuinely relativistic quantum gravitational effects.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2025

Decay of uniformly rotating particles

In this paper, we revisit the interpretation of the circular Unruh effect. To this aim, we rely on the principle of general covariance applied to the decay properties of non-inertial particles. Specifically, we show how the tree-level decay rate of an inverse-$β$ process involving scalar fields does not require the introduction of a thermal (or non-thermal) bath in the comoving frame to be a scalar under general coordinate transformations. Instead, we interpret any decay process as an emission of negative-energy quanta, whose existence is motivated by the absence of a global vacuum state for uniformly rotating observers. This implies that, in principle, no uniformly rotating particle can be regarded as stable.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2024

Spin couplings as witnesses of Planck scale phenomenology

Modified dispersion relations (MDRs) and noncommutative geometries are phenomenological models of Planck-scale corrections to relativistic kinematics, motivated by several approaches to quantum gravity. High-energy astrophysical observations, while commonly used to test such effects, are limited by significant systematic uncertainties. In contrast, low-energy, nonrelativistic experiments provide greater control, with precision serving as an amplifier for Planck-suppressed corrections. We derive corrections to Pauli's equation for nonrelativistic spin-1/2 particles in a magnetic field, incorporating general MDRs and noncommutative geometries. Applying our framework to k-Poincaré symmetries and minimal-length quantum mechanics, we identify Planck-scale corrections accessible in the nonrelativistic regime. Using the electron's anomalous magnetic moment, we constrain model parameters, pushing the k-Poincaré scale in the bi-crossproduct representation beyond $10^{10}$ GeV. These results highlight the complementarity of low-energy precision tests and astrophysical observation in probing quantum gravity phenomenology.

hep-th↗
arXiv2024

Tests of macrorealism in meson oscillation physics

Macrorealism formalizes the intuitive notion that at any given time the system occupies a definite state and that the evolution of the system is independent of the measurements performed on it, in contrast to the principles of quantum mechanics. In this study, we carry out a comparative analysis between three-time Leggett--Garg-type inequalities and the conditions of no-signaling-in-time and arrow-of-time for macrorealism within the context of meson oscillations. Our findings indicate that, under given initial conditions, no violations of Leggett--Garg inequalities are observed. However, no-signaling-in-time conditions are found to be violated, thereby revealing the impossibility of applying a macrorealistic description to the analysis of meson physics.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2023

Gravitationally modulated quantum correlations: Discriminating classical and quantum models of ultra-compact objects with Bell nonlocality

We investigate the relation between quantum nonlocality and gravity at the astrophysical scale, both in the classical and quantum regimes. Considering particle pairs orbiting in the strong gravitational field of ultra-compact objects, we find that the violation of Bell inequality acquires an angular modulation factor that strongly depends on the nature of the gravitational source. We show how such gravitationally-induced modulation of quantum nonlocality readily discriminates between black holes (both classical and inclusive of quantum corrections) and string fuzzballs, i.e., the true quantum description of ultra-compact objects according to string theory. These findings promote Bell nonlocality as a potentially key tool in comparing different models of classical and quantum gravity and putting them to the test.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2023

Neutrino decoherence and violation of the strong equivalence principle

We analyze the dynamics of neutrino Gaussian wave-packets, the damping of flavor oscillations and decoherence effects within the framework of extended theories of gravity. In particular, we show that, when the underlying description of the gravitational interaction admits a violation of the strong equivalence principle, the parameter quantifying such a violation modulates the wave-packet spreading, giving rise to potentially measurable effects in future neutrino experiments.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2023

Coherent states for generalized uncertainty relations as Tsallis probability amplitudes: new route to non-extensive thermostatistics

We study coherent states associated to a generalized uncertainty principle (GUP). We separately analyze the cases of positive and negative deformation parameter $β$, showing that the ensuing probability distribution is a Tsallis distribution whose non-extensivity parameter $q$ is monotonically related to $β$. Moreover, for $β<0$ (corresponding to $q<1$), we reformulate the GUP in terms of a one-parameter class of Tsallis entropy-power based uncertainty relations, which are again saturated by the GUP coherent states. We argue that this combination of coherent states with Tsallis entropy offers a natural conceptual framework allowing to study quasi-classical regime of GUP in terms of non-extensive thermodynamics. We substantiate our claim by discussing generalization of Verlinde's entropic force and ensuing implications in the late-inflation epoch. Corresponding dependence of the $β$ parameter on cosmological time is derived for the reheating epoch. The obtained $β$ is consistent with values predicted by both string-theory models and the naturalness principle. Further salient issues, including derivation of new $β$-dependent expressions for the lowest possible value of the spin and Immirzi parameter in Loop Quantum Gravity, and connection of our proposal with the Magueijo--Smolin doubly special relativity are also discussed. This article provides a more extended and comprehensive treatment of our recent letter [Phys. Rev. D 105, L121501 (2022)].

gr-qc↗
arXiv2023

Bell nonlocality in maximal-length quantum mechanics

In this paper, we investigate the consequences of maximal length as well as minimal momentum scales on nonlocal correlations shared by two parties of a bipartite quantum system. To this aim, we rely on a general phenomenological scheme which is usually associated with the non-negligible spacetime curvature at cosmological scales, namely the extended uncertainty principle. In so doing, we find that quantum correlations are degraded if the deformed quantum mechanical model mimics a positive cosmological constant. This opens up the possibility to recover classicality at sufficiently large distances.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2023

30 years in: Quo vadis generalized uncertainty principle?

According to a number of arguments in quantum gravity, both model-dependent and model-independent, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is modified when approaching the Planck scale. This deformation is attributed to the existence of a minimal length. The ensuing models have found entry into the literature under the term Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP). In this work, we discuss several conceptual shortcomings of the underlying framework and critically review recent developments in the field. In particular, we touch upon the issues of relativistic and field theoretical generalizations, the classical limit and the application to composite systems. Furthermore, we comment on subtleties involving the use of heuristic arguments instead of explicit calculations. Finally, we present an extensive list of constraints on the model parameter $β$, classifying them on the basis of the degree of rigour in their derivation and reconsidering the ones subject to problems associated with composites.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2023

Discriminating quantum gravity models by gravitational decoherence

Several phenomenological approaches to quantum gravity predict the existence of a minimal measurable length and/or a maximum measurable momentum near the Planck scale. When embedded into the framework of quantum mechanics, such constraints induce a modification of the canonical commutation relations and thus a generalization of the Heisenberg uncertainty relations, commonly referred to as generalized uncertainty principle (GUP). Different models of quantum gravity imply different forms of the GUP. For instance, in the framework of string theory the GUP is quadratic in the momentum operator, while in the context of doubly special relativity it includes an additional linear dependence. Among the possible physical consequences, it was recently shown that the quadratic GUP induces a universal decoherence mechanism, provided one assumes a foamy structure of quantum spacetime close to the Planck length. Along this line, in the present work we investigate the gravitational decoherence associated to the linear-quadratic GUP and we compare it with the one associated to the quadratic GUP. We find that, despite their similarities, the two generalizations of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle yield decoherence times that are completely uncorrelated and significantly distinct. Motivated by this result, we introduce a theoretical and experimental scheme based on cavity optomechanics to measure the different time evolution of nonlocal quantum correlations corresponding to the two aforementioned decoherence mechanisms. We find that the deviation between the two predictions occurs on time scales that are macroscopic and thus potentially amenable to experimental verification. This scenario provides a possible setting to discriminate between different forms of the GUP and therefore different models of quantum gravity.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2023

Spin operator, Bell nonlocality and Tsirelson bound in quantum-gravity induced minimal-length quantum mechanics

Different approaches to quantum gravity converge in predicting the existence of a minimal scale of length. This raises the fundamental question as to whether and how an intrinsic limit to spatial resolution can affect quantum mechanical observables associated to internal degrees of freedom. We answer this question in general terms by showing that the spin operator acquires a momentum-dependent contribution in quantum mechanics equipped with a minimal length. Among other consequences, this modification induces a form of quantum nonlocality stronger than the one arising in ordinary quantum mechanics. In particular, we show that violations of the Bell inequality can exceed the maximum value allowed in ordinary quantum mechanics, the so-called Tsirelson bound, by a positive-valued function of the momentum operator. We introduce possible experimental settings based on neutron interferometry and quantum contextuality, and we provide preliminary estimates on the values of the physical parameters needed for actual laboratory implementations.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2023

Weak equivalence principle violation for mixed scalar particles

We investigate the non-relativistic limit of the Klein--Gordon equation for mixed scalar particles and show that, in this regime, one unavoidably arrives at redefining the particle's inertial mass. This happens because, in contrast to the case when mixing is absent, the antiparticle sector contribution cannot be neglected for particles with definite flavor. To clearly demonstrate this feature, we adopt the Feshbach--Villars formalism for Klein--Gordon particles. Furthermore, within the same framework, we also demonstrate that, in the presence of a weak gravitational field, the mass parameter that couples to gravity (gravitational mass) does not match the effective inertial mass. This, in turn, implies a violation of the weak equivalence principle. Finally, we prove that the Bargmann's superselection rule, which prohibits oscillating particles on the basis of the Galilean transformation, is incompatible with the non-relativistic limit of the Lorentz transformation and hence does not collide with the results obtained.

hep-th↗
arXiv2023

The minimal length: a cut-off in disguise?

The minimal-length paradigm, a possible implication of quantum gravity at low energies, is commonly understood as a phenomenological modification of Heisenberg's uncertainty relation. We show that this modification is equivalent to a cut-off in the space conjugate to the position representation, i.e. the space of wave numbers, which does not necessarily correspond to momentum space. This result is generalized to several dimensions and noncommutative geometries once a suitable definition of the wave number is provided. Furthermore, we find a direct relation between the ensuing bound in wave-number space and the minimal-length scale. For scenarios in which the existence of the minimal length cannot be explicitly verified, the proposed framework can be used to clarify the situation. Indeed, applying it to common models, we find that one of them does, against all expectations, allow for arbitrary precision in position measurements. In closing, we comment on general implications of our findings for the field. In particular, we point out that the minimal length is purely kinematical such that, effectively, there is only one model of minimal-length quantum mechanics.

hep-th↗
arXiv2023

No-signaling-in-time as a condition for macrorealism: the case of neutrino oscillations

We consider two necessary and sufficient conditions for macrorealism recently appeared in the literature, known as no-signaling-in-time and arrow-of-time conditions, respectively, and study them in the context of neutrino flavor transitions, within both the plane wave description and the wave packet approach. We then compare the outcome of the above investigation with the implication of various formulations of Leggett--Garg inequalities. In particular, we show that the fulfillment of the addressed conditions for macrorealism in neutrino oscillations implies the fulfillment of Leggett--Garg inequalities, whereas the converse is not true. Finally, in the framework of wave packet approach, we also prove that, for distances longer than the coherence length, the no-signaling-in-time condition is always violated whilst Leggett--Garg inequalities are not.

hep-th↗