Detecting Gravitational Waves with Heralded-Photon Quantum Eraser in Relativistic Positioning Space Systems
- Clovis Jacinto de Matos
GNSS Evolution Programme and Strategy Division, European Space Agency
In this paper one proposes to use an innovative concept to detect gravitational waves with a heralded photon quantum eraser in the context of Relativistic Positioning Systems (RPS) constellations. The realization in space of RPS consist in a constellation of satellites exchanging their proper times between them. When one satellite receives the proper times of four other satellites it can recover the constants of motion (energy and angular momentum) of the respective satellite orbits and at the same time calculate its own Schwartschild coordinates together with the spacetime metric tensor components as a bonus. Although the monitoring of the variation of these components would be the sign for the propagation of gravitational waves through the constellation, discriminating this effect from other sources of noise is a challenge. In the present work a gedanken experiment is proposed which consists in adding to the RPS constellation the capability to exchange heralded photons between satellites in addition to the exchange of proper times. In this configuration one satellite emits the heralded photon pairs, a second one hosts a double slit-type experiment creating an interference pattern, and a third one flies a polarizer capable to erase or restore (in a retarded or advanced manner) the interference patterns. The observation of perturbations in the interference patterns of the heralded photons in quantum eraser type experiments would allow to clearly identify the gravitational wave frequency and propagating direction. The RPS would be used to measure the coincidence count of heralded photon pairs, and would provide a first measurement of the perturbation of Schwartschild metric by the gravitational wave. The relative rotation of the photon polarization of Heralded photon pairs would then refine and consolidate the RPS preliminary measurement of the gravitational perturbation. The all system would form a omni-directional gravitational wave antenna with the ability to characterize completely the impinging gravitational radiation (Amplitude, frequency, direction, polarization).
Paper co-authored with Fabrizio Tamburini