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Tomohiro Fujita

Publications and source records attributed to Tomohiro Fujita.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Quantum Matter Makes Lightcones Quantum

In gravitational physics, matter does not merely move within spacetime; it also determines the light cones that define causal relations. What happens when the matter that determines these light cones is itself in a quantum state? We address this question in a controlled low-energy setting: a massless scalar field propagating in the spacetime with the Newtonian gravitational potential sourced by a non-relativistic quantum particle. We show that the light cones are affected by an operator-valued Shapiro delay, with the three consequences: (i) causal-boundary shifts are promoted to noncommuting observables, giving the causal structure an irreducible quantum uncertainty; (ii) the causal relation between two fixed spacetime points can become a superposition of timelike and spacelike configurations; and (iii) tracing out the source smears the Wightman light-cone singularity, producing an effective UV cutoff. Thus, quantum matter does not merely fluctuate within spacetime; it makes the causal structure itself quantum, even without including propagating graviton modes.

gr-qc

Minimal noise in non-quantized gravity

An elementary prediction of the quantization of the gravitational field is that the Newtonian interaction can entangle pairs of massive objects. Conversely, in models of gravity in which the field is not quantized, the gravitational interaction necessarily comes with some level of noise, i.e., non-reversibility. Here, we give a systematic classification of all possible such models consistent with the basic requirements that the non-relativistic limit is Galilean invariant and reproduces the Newtonian interaction on average. We demonstrate that for any such model to be non-entangling, a quantifiable, minimal amount of noise must be injected into any experimental system. Thus, measuring gravitating systems at noise levels below this threshold would be equivalent to demonstrating that Newtonian gravity is entangling. As concrete examples, we analyze our general predictions in a number of experimental setups, and test it on the classical-quantum gravity models of Oppenheim et al., as well as on a recent model of Newtonian gravity as an entropic force.

quant-ph

Searching for Axion-like particle Dark Matter with Time-domain Polarization: Constraints from a protoplanetary disk

Axion-like particles (ALPs) can induce a birefringence effect that rotates the polarization angle of light, offering a probe of ultralight dark matter. We analyze archival near-infrared polarimetric data of the protoplanetary disk (PPD) around HD 163296. Whereas previous studies considered only single-epoch snapshots, we perform a consistent multi-epoch time-series analysis, extracting the polarization angle and its uncertainty from the polarized images. The resulting six-epoch time series is consistent with a constant polarization angle within the measurement uncertainties, while being sensitive to timescales of $\sim 170-400$ days. The typical polarization angle uncertainties are $1.6$--$6.4$ degrees, partly driven by multiple scattering in the optically thick disk, which broadens the intrinsic polarization angle distribution and introduces additional dispersion in the representative polarization angle. Based on these data, we derive the first upper limits on the ALP-photon coupling from PPD polarization variability, $g_{aγ} \lesssim 7.5 \times 10^{-12} (m_a / 10^{-22}\,{\rm eV})\,{\rm GeV}^{-1}$. Furthermore, we forecast that achieving a polarization angle uncertainty of $σ\sim 0.1$ degrees would enable world-leading sensitivity to ALP-induced birefringence.

astro-ph.CO

Effective Field Theory of Chiral Gravitational Waves

When a (non-)Abelian gauge field acquires an isotropic background configuration during inflation, strong gravitational waves (GWs) with parity-violating polarization, known as chiral GWs, can be produced in addition to the intrinsic unpolarized GWs. However, previous studies have analyzed individual models, leaving the generality of this phenomenon unclear. To perform a model-independent analysis, we construct an effective field theory (EFT) of chiral GWs by extending the EFT of inflation and incorporating gauge fields. The resulting action unifies inflationary models with a $SU(2)$ gauge field, such as chromo-natural inflation and gauge-flation, and ones with a triplet of $U(1)$ gauge fields, systematically encompassing all possible GW production mechanisms consistent with the symmetry breaking induced by the gauge field background. We find that chiral GWs are generically and inevitably produced, provided that the effective energy density of the background gauge field is positive and the gauge kinetic function is not fine-tuned to a specific time dependence. This EFT offers a useful foundation for future phenomenological studies as well as for deepening our theoretical understanding of chiral GWs.

astro-ph.CO

An Effective Theory for Biased Tracers via the Boltzmann-Equation Approach

We develop an effective theory for biased tracers formulated at the level of the Boltzmann equation, providing a unified description of density and velocity bias. We introduce a general effective collision term in the tracer Boltzmann equation to encode tracer dynamics that are intrinsically different from those of dark matter. This collision operator leads to modified continuity and Euler equations, with source terms reflecting the collision-term physics. At linear order, this framework predicts time- and scale-dependent bias parameters in a self-consistent manner, encompassing peak bias as a special case while clarifying how velocity bias and higher-derivative effects arise. Applying the resulting bias model to redshift-space distortions, we show that the Boltzmann-equation approach reproduces the power spectrum of biased tracers obtained in the Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure up to $k^4$ terms with fewer independent parameters.

astro-ph.CO

Boosting Gravity-Induced Entanglement through Parametric Resonance

Establishing quantum gravity theory remains one of the major challenges in modern physics, as the lack of experimental evidence makes it difficult to explore. In response to this challenge, proposals to test quantum entanglement induced by Newtonian gravity in table-top experiments have attracted significant attention as a potentially feasible approach far below the Planck energy scale. In this work, we propose a scheme to amplify gravity-induced entanglement between two masses using parametric resonance. Specifically, we consider two parametrically resonant oscillators interacting through Newtonian gravity, each governed by the Mathieu equation. We analyzed the logarithmic negativity between two oscillators and investigate the effects of random force noise and linear damping. As a result, we find an exponential growth of gravity-induced entanglement between the oscillators, which reflects the dynamical instability of parametric resonant systems.

gr-qc

Sudden Decoherence by Resonant Particle Excitation for Testing Gravity-Induced Entanglement

We propose a novel method to probe gravity-induced entanglement. We consider the gravitational interaction between a particle trapped in a shallow potential and a harmonic oscillator. The harmonic oscillator is in a quantum superposition of two frequencies and only one of these states can excite the trapped particle via resonance. Once the excited particle is detected, the quantum state of the oscillator is collapsed, which can be observed as the sudden disappearance of the superposition of oscillator frequencies. Thus, the sudden decoherence, which is only triggered by particle detection, can be a smoking gun evidence of gravity-induced entanglement. Since the probability of particle excitation increases linearly with time, the total probability is multiplied by repeating experiments. We will also discuss experimental implementations using optomechanics.

quant-ph

Adjusting optical cavity birefringence with wavelength tunable laser for axion searches

Axions have attracted attention as promising candidates for dark matter (DM). Although axions have been intensively searched for, they have not been observed yet. Recently, novel experiments to search for axion DM have been proposed that use optical cavities to amplify polarization rotation of laser light induced by the axion-photon interaction. One such experiment employs a ring cavity composed of four mirrors. However, its sensitivity to the axion-photon coupling $g_{aγ}$ in the low axion mass region is limited due to a reflection phase difference between s- and p-polarizations. In this paper, we propose a new method to improve the sensitivity using zero-phase shift mirrors and a wavelength tunable laser. Moreover, the laser makes it easier to scan the high axion mass region by tuning the reflection phase difference between s- and p-polarizations. We experimentally confirmed that the phase difference generated upon reflection on a zero phase shift mirror satisfied the requirement of $8.6 \times 10^{-3}~\mathrm{deg}$, which corresponds to the half width at half maximum (HWHM) of the cavity for p-polarization with the mirror fixed on a folded cavity and a wavelength tunable laser.

hep-ex

Dip and non-linearity in the curvature perturbation from inflation with a transient non-slow-roll stage

We consider models of inflation that contain a transient non-slow-roll stage and investigate the conditions under which a dip appears in the power spectrum of the curvature perturbation. Using the $δN$ formalism, we derive a general relation between the comoving curvature perturbation ${\cal{R}}$ and the scalar field perturbation $δφ$ and its velocity perturbation $δπ$. Compared with the result obtained in linear perturbation theory, it turns out that properly taking account of the $δπ$ contribution is essential to reproduce the dip in the power spectrum. Namely, the curvature perturbation is proportional to a specific linear combination of $δφ$ and $δπ$ at the linear order. We also investigate the non-linearity at the dip scale and find that models with a bump or an upward step exhibit much larger non-linearity than ultra-slow-roll and Starobinsky's linear potential models. Finally, we demonstrate the importance of non-linearity by computing the probability density functions (PDFs) for the above-mentioned models and show that highly asymmetric PDFs are realised for models with a bump or a step.

astro-ph.CO

Inverted Oscillators for Testing Gravity-induced Quantum Entanglement

In the quest for quantum gravity, we have lacked experimental verification, hampered by the weakness of gravity and decoherence. Recently, various experiments have been proposed to verify quantum entanglement induced by Newtonian gravitational interactions. However, they are not yet certainly feasible with existing techniques. To search for a new setup, we compute the logarithmic negativity of two oscillators with arbitrary quadratic potential coupled by gravity. We find that unstable inverted oscillators generate gravity-induced entanglement most quickly and are most resistant to decoherence from environmental fluctuations. As an experimental realization, we propose a setup of the optical levitation of mirrors with the anti-spring effect. To avoid decoherence due to photon shot noise, a sandwich configuration that geometrically creates the anti-spring is promising.

quant-ph

Forecast constraints on the axion-photon coupling from interstellar medium heating

In interstellar media characterized by a nonrelativistic plasma of electrons and heavy ions, we study the effect of axion dark matter coupled to photons on the dynamics of an electric field. In particular, we assume the presence of a background magnetic field aligned in a specific direction. We show that there is an energy transfer from the oscillating axion field to photons and then to the plasma induced by forced resonance. This resonance is most prominent for the axion mass $m_ϕ$ equivalent to the plasma frequency $ω_p$. Requiring that the heating rate of the interstellar medium caused by the energy transfer does not exceed the observed astrophysical cooling rate, we place forecast constraints on the axion-photon coupling $g$ for several different amplitudes of the background magnetic field $B_0$. By choosing a typical value $B_0=10^{-6}$ G, we find that, for the resonance mass $m_ϕ=ω_p$, the upper limit of $g$ can be stronger than those derived from other measurements in the literature. With increased values of $B_0$, it is possible to put more stringent constraints on $g$ for a wider range of the axion mass away from the resonance point.

hep-ph

Reheating after Axion Inflation

We investigate the reheating process in an axion inflation model where the inflaton couples to non-Abelian gauge fields via the Chern-Simons coupling. The Chern-Simons coupling leads to the efficient production of gauge fields via a tachyonic instability during inflation, whose implications have been actively studied in the literatures. Moreover, it has been recently pointed out that the produced gauge fields can be even thermalized during inflation, leading to warm inflation. Apparently, these findings seem to imply that the reheating is completed immediately after inflation because the tachyonic instability or the thermal friction induced by the Chern-Simons coupling cause the inflaton condensate to decay rapidly. Contrary to this naive expectation, however, we show that, in most of the parameter space, either the inflaton condensate, the inflaton particles, or the glueballs once dominate the Universe and their perturbative decay completes the reheating.

hep-ph

Searches for ultralight vector and axion dark matter with KAGRA

We have proposed using laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors to search for ultralight vector and axion dark matter. Vector dark matter can be probed through oscillating forces on suspended mirrors, while axion dark matter can be detected via oscillating polarization rotation of laser beams. This paper reviews these searches with the KAGRA detector in Japan, including the first vector dark matter search with KAGRA's 2020 data and installation of polarization optics for axion dark matter search during the upcoming 2025 observing run.

hep-ph

Low-Scale Inflationary Magnetogenesis without Baryon Isocurvature Problem

Primordial magnetogenesis is an intriguing possibility to explain the origin of intergalactic magnetic fields (IGMFs). However, the baryon isocurvature problem has recently been pointed out, ruling out all magnetogenesis models operating above the electroweak scale. In this letter, we show that lower-scale inflationary scenarios with a Chern-Simons coupling can evade this problem. We propose concrete inflationary models whose reheating temperatures are lower than the electroweak scale and numerically compute the amount of magnetic fields generated during inflation and reheating. We find that, for lower reheating temperatures, the magnetic helicity decreases significantly. It is also possible to generate fully helical magnetic fields by modifying the inflaton potential. In both cases, the produced magnetic fields can be strong enough to explain the observed IGMFs, while avoiding the baryon isocurvature problem.

astro-ph.CO

Detection Prospects of Gravitational Waves from SU(2) Axion Inflation

We study detection prospects of a gravitational-wave background (GWB) sourced by SU(2) gauge fields considering all possible observational constraints. More precisely, we consider bounds set by cosmic microwave background measurements, primordial black hole overproduction, as well as backreaction of the gauge fields on the background evolution. Gravitational-waves data from the first three observing runs of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration show no evidence for a GWB contribution from axion inflation. However, we are able to place conservative constraints on the parameters of the SU(2) inflation with current data. We investigate conditions on the inflationary potential that would lead to a detectable signal that evades astrophysical and cosmological constraints and discuss detection prospects for third generation networks.

astro-ph.CO

First results of axion dark matter search with DANCE

Axions are one of the well-motivated candidates for dark matter, originally proposed to solve the strong CP problem in particle physics. Dark matter Axion search with riNg Cavity Experiment (DANCE) is a new experimental project to broadly search for axion dark matter in the mass range of $10^{-17}~\mathrm{eV} < m_a < 10^{-11}~\mathrm{eV}$. We aim to detect the rotational oscillation of linearly polarized light caused by the axion-photon coupling with a bow-tie cavity. The first results of the prototype experiment, DANCE Act-1, are reported from a 24-hour observation. We found no evidence for axions and set 95% confidence level upper limit on the axion-photon coupling $g_{a γ} \lesssim 8 \times 10^{-4}~\mathrm{GeV^{-1}}$ in $10^{-14}~\mathrm{eV} < m_a < 10^{-13}~\mathrm{eV}$. Although the bound did not exceed the current best limits, this optical cavity experiment is the first demonstration of polarization-based axion dark matter search without any external magnetic field.

hep-ex

Misalignment production of vector boson dark matter from axion-SU(2) inflation

We present a new mechanism to generate a coherently oscillating dark vector field from axion-SU(2) gauge field dynamics during inflation. The SU(2) gauge field acquires a nonzero background sourced by an axion during inflation, and it acquires a mass through spontaneous symmetry breaking after inflation. We find that the coherent oscillation of the dark vector field can account for dark matter in the mass range of $10^{-13}-1$ eV in a minimal setup. In a more involved scenario, the range can be wider down to the fuzzy dark matter region. One of the dark vector fields can be identified as the dark photon, in which case this mechanism evades the notorious constraints for isocurvature perturbation, statistical anisotropy, and the absence of ghosts that exist in the usual misalignment production scenarios. Phenomenological implications are discussed.

hep-ph

Parity-violating scalar trispectrum from a rolling axion during inflation

We study a mechanism of generating the trispectrum (4-point correlation) of curvature perturbation through the dynamics of a spectator axion field and U(1) gauge field during inflation. Owing to the Chern-Simons coupling, only one helicity mode of gauge field experiences a tachyonic instability and sources scalar perturbations. Sourced curvature perturbation exhibits parity-violating nature which can be tested through its trispectrum. We numerically compute parity-even and parity-odd component of the sourced trispectrum. It is found that the ratio of parity-odd to parity-even mode can reach O(10%) in an exact equilateral momentum configuration. We also investigate a quasi-equilateral shape where only one of the momenta is slightly longer than the other three, and find that the parity-odd mode can reach, and more interestingly, surpass the parity-even one. This may help us to interpret a large parity-odd trispectrum signal extracted from BOSS galaxy-clustering data.

astro-ph.CO