Effect of quantum and thermal jitter on the feasibility of Bekenstein's proposed experiment to search for Planck-scale signals

Abstract

A proposed experiment to test whether space is discretized [J. D. Bekenstein, Phys. Rev. D 86, 124040 (2012)PRVDAQ1550-799810.1103/PhysRevD.86.124040; Found. Phys. 44, 452 (2014)FNDPA40015-901810.1007/s10701-014-9779-z] is based on the supposed impossibility of an incident photon causing a displacement of a transparent block by less than the Planck length. An analysis of the quantum and thermal jitter of the block shows that it greatly diminishes the possibility that the experiment could reveal Planck-scale signals.