Quantum Ontology in the Laboratory: A Tabletop Test of Gravity-Induced Collapse, Stochastic Localization, and Unitarity
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| Title: | Quantum Ontology in the Laboratory: A Tabletop Test of Gravity-Induced Collapse, Stochastic Localization, and Unitarity |
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| Authors: | Perera, Jayasuriya Arachchige Shanaka Anslem, orcid:0009-0000-4435- |
| Publisher Information: | Zenodo |
| Publication Year: | 2025 |
| Collection: | Zenodo |
| Subject Terms: | Quantum physics, Physics, Laser physics, Theoretical physics, Quantum foundations, Quantum measurement problem, Wavefunction collapse, Objective collapse models, Diósi–Penrose (DP) model, Ghirardi–Rimini–Weber (GRW), Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL), Unitary quantum mechanics, Decoherence, Perera Hybrid Model (PHM), Lindblad master equation, Bayesian model selection, Coherence time (τ), Log–log slope discrimination, Optomechanics, Levitated nanoparticles |
| Description: | This work tackles the quantum measurement problem with a fully falsifiable experimental program. We propose a tabletop protocol that reduces the debate to a single operational quantity: the coherence time τ of a mesoscopic spatial superposition at fixed mass m and separation Δx. Using optically levitated silica nanospheres (m ≈ 10⁻¹⁴ kg, Δx ≈ 1 μm) operated in ultra-high vacuum and cryogenic conditions, τ can be measured with precision sufficient to discriminate among competing ontologies: • Gravity-induced collapse (Diósi–Penrose): τ scales as m⁻² with absolute timescales in the 10–20 ms range at m ≈ 10⁻¹⁴ kg.• Objective-collapse models (GRW/CSL): τ scales as m⁻¹, implying hour-scale lifetimes at mesoscopic masses for canonical parameters.• Unitary quantum mechanics with environmental decoherence: no fundamental collapse; τ is set by bath interactions and often scales as m⁻²╱³. Only the unitary case permits engineered coherence revivals. We also introduce the Perera Hybrid Model (PHM), a dissipative synthesis of gravitational self-energy instability and CSL-type localization, predicting an intermediate scaling τ ∝ m⁻¹⋅⁵ and an experimentally accessible crossover regime. The framework is expressed in a unified Lindblad master equation, validated numerically, and paired with a Bayesian pipeline that converts visibility data into model evidence. Monte Carlo studies show that two to three well-chosen mass points suffice for 5σ discrimination. The result is a concrete roadmap that translates questions of quantum ontology into chronometric verdicts, with implications for quantum gravity, macroscopic quantum technologies, and foundational physics. |
| Document Type: | text |
| Language: | English |
| Relation: | https://zenodo.org/records/17208378; oai:zenodo.org:17208378; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17208378 |
| DOI: | 10.5281/zenodo.17208378 |
| Availability: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17208378 https://zenodo.org/records/17208378 |
| Rights: | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International ; cc-by-4.0 ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode ; Copyright (C) 2025 - Jayasuriya Arachchige Shanaka Anslem Perera |
| Accession Number: | edsbas.5BDB9892 |
| Database: | BASE |
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