Dyson, just before the first detection of Gravitational Waves (GWs) by LIGO, raised the question of whether the detection of a single graviton can be achieved with GW strain detectors. If this is possible, then it would be a direct evidence for the quantization of the gravitational field. Detection of single graviton signals, though, requires Planck scale accurate length measurements, which seems rather impossible, at least for the present status of our knowledge and available technology. Collective Graviton States (CGS) of purely quantum origin, still challenging to be detected, consist a promising way to bypass this constraint. CGS can admit macroscopically large occupation numbers (as is the case of GWs detected by LIGO, with approximately 1035 gravitons). Such CGS admit no classical analogue and thus are explainable, if detected, only when a quantum theory for the gravitational field is enforced. In this talk, we treat General Relativity (GR) as an Effective Field Theory (EFT), introducing a weak graviton perturbation about an appropriate fixed spacetime background, to study the production of multi-mode squeezed CGS by local sources, relevant for astrophysical processes. In particular, we consider condensates of axion-like particles (ALPs) formed around rotating (astrophysical) black holes, via the superradiance instability. The latter is characterized by the very large number of ALPs involved in the “cloud” and the long lifetime of the configuration. These properties can offer a macroscopic amplification mechanism of potential quantum-gravity effects. We estimate the order of magnitude of the squeezing effect, in the non-relativistic limit, relevant for the superradiance process, through the number of graviton excitations in the multi-mode squeezed vacuum. Then, we comment on observational prospects and particularly on how the relevant ALP physics can be constrained by null quantum – gravity results, when compared with data. Finally, we stress on the entanglement properties and the inherent Bell states of the multi-mode squeezed CGS, in contrast to the single – mode squeezing, that so far been discussed in the relevant literature.
How much can gravitons be squeezed?
Next Seminar
New Aspects of spontaneous scalarization of black holes beyond General relativity
Next Journal Club
Session to be resumed.
Black Hole Workshops
Next workshop:
XVIII Black Holes Workshop, Lisbon, 2025
18-19 December 2025
Previous workshops in the series:
I Black Holes Workshop, Porto, 2008
II Black Holes Workshop, Lisbon, 2009
III Black Holes Workshop, Minho, 2010
IV Black Holes Workshop, Aveiro, 2011
V Black Holes Workshop, Lisbon, 2012
VI Black Holes Workshop, Minho 2013
VII Black Holes Workshop, Aveiro 2014
VIII Black Holes Workshop, Lisbon 2015
IX Black Holes Workshop, Minho 2016
X Black Holes Workshop, Aveiro 2017
XI Black Holes Workshop, Lisbon, 2018
XII Black Holes Workshop, Minho, 2019
XIII Black Holes Workshop, Lisbon, 2020
XIV Black Holes Workshop, Aveiro, 2021
XV Black Holes Workshop, Lisbon, 2022
XVI Black Holes Workshop, Porto, 2023
XVII Black Holes Workshop, Aveiro, 2024
Numerical data
NewFunFICO network
Our group coordinates the Marie Sklodowska Curie Staff Exchange NewFunFiCO network (Jan 2023- Dec 2026)
More info here
FunFiCO Network
Our group coordinates the Marie Curie RISE FunFiCO network (Dec 2017- Dec 2023)
More info here
EuCAPT Consortium
GWVerse COST
StronGrHEP Network
Our group was part of the RISE StronGrHEP network (2016-2019)
Meetings:
Paris, 12-13 May 2016
Azores, 3-8 July 2017
Osaka, 4-8 September 2017
NRHEP Network Meetings
Our group coordinated the "Numerical Relativity and High Energy Physics" IRSES network (2012-2015). Here is a list of the global network meetings organized:
First Meeting:
9-13 July 2012, Aveiro, Portugal
Second Meeting:
11-14 March 2013, Lisbon, Portugal
Third Meeting:
6-10 January 2014, Mississippi, USA
Fourth Meeting:
7-10 July 2015, Rome, Italy
Fifth Meeting:
28 Sep-2 Oct 2015, Belém, Brazil
Ph.D. and Post-doctoral opportunities
Contact us If you are interested in pursuing graduate studies/research in our group.
Information for prospective Ph.D. students can be found here.
Past Ph.D. theses from our group can be found here.
Working as a researcher in Portugal - a quick guide.
Good Research Practices for New PhD students - a quick guide.