Quantum Dynamics Suppress Graviton-Phonon Conversion

Researchers at Kyushu University, Kobe University, and École Normale Supérieure – PSL in Paris have discovered that standard calculations of graviton-to-phonon conversion, a potential pathway for single-graviton detection, predict probabilities exceeding one when dealing with specific quantum states, a result that violates fundamental physical limits. The team, including Yuna Gouin and Jiro Soda, solved the quantum dynamics of this conversion with greater accuracy, revealing a surprising dynamic for coherent graviton states. Rather than a continuous process, the conversion occurs intermittently through narrow bursts separated by periods of strong suppression. This departure from expected behavior appears earlier for squeezed graviton states, with conversion strongly suppressed…