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Causal consistency requirements for gravity-induced entanglement in near-relativistic systems with internal energy

Linda M. van Manen*, M. Kemal Döner†, and André Großardt‡

  • *Contact author: linda.van.manen@uni-jena.de
  • †Contact author: kemal.doner@uni-jena.de
  • ‡Contact author: andre.grossardt@uni-jena.de
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Phys. Rev. D 112, 062001 – Published 8 September, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/3r1k-v9gy

Abstract

We reconsider a thought experiment that employs the entanglement of the gravitational field with position space quantum states as a means for faster-than-light signaling. We present a protocol that includes the excitation to a higher internal energy level to increase sensitivity to gravitational phase shifts. We report that the explanations why previous versions of the thought experiment remain causally consistent are insufficient to avoid any possibility for faster-than-light signals in this case. An alternative resolution to prevent faster-than-light signaling is most reasonably the requirement for a (near) relativistic treatment. One such effect could be a decoherence channel unobserved in a nonrelativistic treatment.

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Phys. Rev. D 112, 062001– Published 8 September, 2025
  • Received 2 April 2025
  • Accepted 8 August 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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