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Quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field and propagation of light:
a heuristic approach.


S. Ansoldi1
Dipartimento di Fisica Teorica dell'Università,
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste,
Strada Costiera 11, 34014-Trieste, Italy


E. Milotti2
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Udine,
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste,
via delle Scienze, 208 - I-33100 Udine, Italy


Abstract:

Quantum Gravity is quite elusive at the experimental level; thus a lot of interest has been raised by recent searches for quantum gravity effects in the propagation of light from distant sources, like gamma ray bursters and active galactic nuclei, and also in earth-based interferometers, like those used for gravitational wave detection. Here we propose a simple heuristic picture of the quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field and use it to set up a mathematical framework to estimate quantum gravity effects in interferometers. We also discuss some other developments suggested by this heuristics.

pacs: 04.90.+e, 04.80.Cc, 98.80.Es, 04.60.-m




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Stefano Ansoldi