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Underground Experiment Challenges Gravity's Role in Quantum Decoherence
A deep-underground experiment conducted at Italy's Gran Sasso National Laboratory has challenged a long-standing theory about why quantum mechanics appears to disappear in the macroscopic world. The research, published in the New Journal of Physics in June 2026, tested a model proposed by Hungarian physicist Frigyes Károlyházy in the 1960s, which suggested that tiny fluctuations in spacetime caused by gravity gradually destroy quantum superpositions. The experiment involved searching for extremely faint electromagnetic radiation that would be emitted if such spacetime fluctuations existed, using a highly shielded germanium detector. After 62 days of measurements, researchers found no evidence of the predicted radiation signal. This absence of a signal rules out one prominent explanation for quantum decoherence, which is the process by which quantum effects like superposition disappear as objects become larger. The findings do not prove that gravity has no role in quantum mechanics, but they eliminate a specific version of the gravity-induced decoherence model. Catalina Curceanu, a researcher at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Italy and spokesperson for the VIP Collaboration, stated that this work narrows the search for a theory describing the interplay between gravity and quantum mechanics, bringing physicists one step closer to understanding one of the deepest mysteries in fundamental physics. The study also highlights that precision experiments are now reaching a level of sensitivity where they can test ideas that were previously considered purely theoretical. This represents a significant advancement in the field, as quantum gravity theories have often been viewed as beyond the reach of experimental verification. The research was supported by the Foundational Questions Institute (FQxI), which emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration in exploring fundamental physics questions. The experiment's success demonstrates that even complex theoretical concepts in quantum gravity can be subjected to empirical testing with sufficiently advanced technology. This work contributes to ongoing efforts to unify quantum mechanics with general relativity, one of the most challenging problems in modern physics. The absence of the predicted signal provides valuable constraints for future theoretical models, guiding physicists toward more accurate explanations of how quantum effects transition to classical behavior as objects grow in size.
