Oppenheim's post-quantum gravity predicts measurable spacetime fluctuations from non-quantized time
Post-quantum gravity generates testable randomness in time flow that reconciles classical gravity with quantum mechanics. Calculations show the fluctuations naturally induce decoherence effects observed in quantum systems. Upcoming precision measurements of time or position variance can falsify or support the model within the next decade.
The theory starts from the assumption that spacetime remains fundamentally classical and continuous while matter and other forces stay quantum. Mathematical consistency then forces stochastic fluctuations in the metric, appearing as unpredictable variations in proper time on microscopic scales. These fluctuations reproduce the apparent collapse of the wavefunction and the emergence of classical behavior without invoking an explicit measurement postulate or many-worlds branching. Unlike string theory or loop quantum gravity, the approach yields concrete experimental signatures rather than Planck-scale phenomena.
Oppenheim: Atom interferometers or optical lattice clocks will detect excess timing variance above 10^-20 s at 1 micrometer baselines within eight years or the model is ruled out.
Sources (2)
- [1]Primary Source(https://arxiv.org/abs/1811.03116)
- [2]Supporting Source(https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.13.041040)