Abstract
We identify potential sources of decoherence for $U(1)$ gauge bosons from a cosmological standpoint. Besides interactions with different species in the cosmological medium, we also consider effects due to the expansion of the Universe, which can produce particles (especially scalars) that can potentially interact with the photon in a quantum state. We look in particular at the case of axionlike particles and their predicted decay channels in our analysis. These interactions are shown to have a negligible effect as far as decoherence goes. Interaction rates with cosmic microwave background radiation or through Thomson scattering are small, so that the interstellar medium remains the biggest decoherence factor. Thus, quantum teleportation experiments with photon energies in the range 1--10 keV should be feasible at cosmological distances up to the galaxy formation epoch or beyond ($z\ensuremath{\sim}100$).
Highlights
Quantum teleportation experiments have shown that quantum coherence can be maintained for ever increasing distances
In this work we have looked at the possibility of photons maintaining their quantum state over cosmological distances
This is an intriguing question in many respects, including quantum communication and quantum teleportation, even more so considering the success achieved in Earth-based experiments
Summary
Quantum teleportation experiments have shown that quantum coherence can be maintained for ever increasing distances. The factor that hinders coherence (breaking the required entanglement for teleportation) is the loss of signal to the medium, mainly the atmosphere This obstacle is no longer present in space, which hints at the possibility of performing such experiments at interstellar distances, or even detecting quantum signals from astrophysical sources. In this context, one of us showed recently that the quantum state of a photon could be maintained at galactic distances, at least for a range of the electromagnetic spectrum [1]. This opens up a new window to look for quantum signals from certain astrophysical objects or even from cosmic strings
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