• Accepted Paper

Gravitational wave detection via photon-graviton scattering and quantum interference

K. Hari and S. Shankaranarayanan

Phys. Rev. D - Accepted 29 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/qrbz-6kt7

Abstract

We present a fully quantum field-theoretic framework for gravitational wave (GW) detection, describing the interaction as inelastic photon-graviton scattering. We demonstrate that for , this microscopic model explicitly reproduces the standard classical geometric-optics time delay, providing a rigorous consistency test of the correspondence limit. We propose a detection scheme based on Hong-Ou-Mandel interference, where the GW-induced spectral shifts render entangled photon pairs distinguishable. This encodes the gravitational signal into the modulation of photon coincidence rates — a quantum observable robust against laser intensity noise. Furthermore, we show that non-classical graviton states, such as squeezed states, induce unique decoherence signatures, establishing theoretical bounds on gravitational decoherence and defining the operational limits for probing the quantum nature of gravity.

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