Quantum Free-Fall Interferometry as Evidence for Structure-First Ordering
Abstract
Recent Quantum Galileo Interferometer experiments compare two coherent wave packets of the same atom: one following a ballistic free-fall trajectory and the other magnetically held in the laboratory frame. Their measured relative phase agrees with the standard prediction, whose idealized leading dependence is cubic in the free-fall time (T³). This paper develops a structure-first interpretation of that result within Harmonic Physics. On this reading, intrinsic phase relations constrain the paths that can be jointly resolved, observer-level geometry describes their organization, and recombination makes the differential phase accessible without creating the underlying distinction. The experiment supports a reproducible path-dependent phase relation and the consistency of quantum evolution with the equivalence principle in the tested regime. It does not uniquely confirm Harmonic Physics, establish that gravity is non-dynamical, or directly test objective-collapse mechanisms. A distinct empirical test would require an independently defined phase-relational quantity and a reproducible residual beyond the complete standard interferometer model and its known systematics. The paper therefore presents the experiment as a clear interpretive case for structure-first ordering and as a platform for future discriminating tests.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
Mechanical and Optical Resonators
Quantum many-body systems
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 22 July 2026
- Document type
- Preprint