Abstract
The assumption that a classical gravitational field interacts with a quantum system is shown to lead to violations of either momentum conservation or the uncertainty principle, or to result in transmission of signals faster thanc. A similar argument holds for the electromagnetic field.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
L. Rosenfeld,Nucl. Phys. 40, 353 (1963); C. Möller, inLes Théories Relativistes de la Gravitation, A. Lichnerowicz and M. A. Tonnelat, eds. (Editions du Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, 1962).
M. Scully and M. Sargent,Physics Today 25, 3, 38 (1972).
W. Lamb and M. Scully,Polarization, Matter, and Radiation (Presses Université de France, Paris, 1969).
A. Einstein, N. Rosen, and B. Podolsky,Phys. Rev. 47, 777 (1935).
S. Freedman and J. Clauser,Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 938 (1972).
C. Misner, K. Thorne, and J. A. Wheeler,Gravitation (Freeman, San Francisco, 1973).
H. Salecker and E. Wigner,Phys. Rev. 109, 2, 571 (1958).
S. Weinberg,Gravitation and Cosmology (Wiley, New York, 1972), Ch. 10.
C. Kittel,Introduction to Solid State Physics (Wiley, New York, 1971), Ch. 2.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Work supported in part by NSF Grant GP30799X.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eppley, K., Hannah, E. The necessity of quantizing the gravitational field. Found Phys 7, 51–68 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00715241
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00715241