Geometric noise spectrum in interferometers

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Authors: Laurent Freidel, Robin Oberfrank
Cited by: 0

Abstract

We study the power spectral density of time delay fluctuations in an interferometer as a potential low-energy quantum gravitational observable. We derive a general expression for the spectrum in terms of the Wightman function of linear metric perturbations, which we then apply to a variety of cases. We analyze the intrinsic graviton fluctuations in the vacuum, thermal, and squeezed states, as well as the fluctuations induced by the vacuum stress-energy of a massless scalar field. We find that the resulting spectra are free of ultraviolet divergences and that, while thermal and squeezed states provide a natural amplification mechanism, the spectra remain suppressed by the Planck scale.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research Relativity and Gravitational Theory

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
25 January 2026
Document type
Preprint