Abstract
A satisfactory theory of quantum gravity maynecessitate a drastic modification of our perception ofspace-time, by giving it a foamy structure at distancescomparable to the Planck length. It is argued in this essay that the experimental detectionof such structures may be a realistic possibility in theforeseeable future. After a brief review of differenttheoretical approaches to quantum gravity and the relationships between them, we discussvarious possible experimental tests of the quantumnature of space-time. Observations of photons fromdistant astrophysical sources such as Gamma-Ray Bursters and laboratory experiments on neutral kaon decays may be sensitive to quantum-gravitational effectsif they are only minimally suppressed. Experimentallimits from the Whipple Observatory and the CPLEAR Collaboration are already probing close to the Planck scale, and significant increases in sensitivityare feasible.
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Ellis, J., Mavromatos, N.E. & Nanopoulos, D.V. Search for Quantum Gravity. General Relativity and Gravitation 31, 1257–1262 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026720723556
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026720723556