Andrei G. Lebed
Andrei G. Lebed | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Proposed breakdown of the equivalence between gravitational mass and energy for quantum bodies |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical and condensed matter physics |
| Institutions | University of Arizona |
Andrei G. Lebed is a theoretical physicist in the Department of Physics at the University of Arizona. He is known in condensed matter physics for his work on quasi-one-dimensional and organic superconductors, and separately for a series of papers arguing that the equivalence between gravitational mass and energy may break down for quantum bodies. He is listed in The Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists.
Work
In a series of papers beginning around 2012, Lebed has argued that for a composite quantum body such as a hydrogen atom, the expectation value of the gravitational mass is equal to energy (as required by general relativity) only for stationary quantum states. He proposes that for quantum superpositions of different stationary states — even when the expectation value of energy is constant — the expectation value of the passive gravitational mass exhibits time-dependent oscillations, which he interprets as a breakdown of the equivalence between gravitational mass and energy at the microscopic level.
Lebed has suggested that this effect could in principle be detected experimentally, for example through unusual electromagnetic radiation emitted by atoms supported and moved in the Earth's gravitational field. These claims, published on the arXiv and in physics journals, remain outside the mainstream consensus, which regards the equivalence principle as well established.