Kavli Affiliate: Frank Wilczek
| First 5 Authors: Sreenath K. Manikandan, Frank Wilczek, , ,
| Summary:
Gravitational radiation from known astrophysical sources is conventionally
treated classically. This treatment corresponds, implicitly, to the hypothesis
that a particular class of quantum-mechanical states — the so-called coherent
states — adequately describe the gravitational radiation field. We propose
practicable, quantitative tests of that hypothesis using resonant bar detectors
monitored in coincidence with LIGO-style interferometers. Our tests readily
distinguish fields that contain significant thermal components or squeezing. We
identify concrete circumstances in which the classical (i.e., coherent state)
hypothesis is likely to fail. Such failures are of fundamental interest, in
that addressing them requires us to treat the gravitational field
quantum-mechanically, and they open a new window into the dynamics of
gravitational wave sources.
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