Italian experiment finds no evidence of gravity‑induced quantum collapse

Physicists have subjected a long‑standing hypothesis about the disappearance of quantum‑mechanical effects in macroscopic systems to one of the most stringent experimental examinations to date. The theory, which posits that minute fluctuations in spacetime generated by gravity gradually collapse quantum superpositions, predicts the emission of an extremely faint radiation signal. To test this, researchers installed a highly shielded germanium detector deep beneath Italy’s Gran Sasso mountain, a location chosen for its low background radiation environment.

After 62 days of continuous measurement, the experiment recorded no evidence of the predicted radiation, placing new limits on the proposed gravitational‑induced collapse mechanism. The null result strengthens the empirical foundation of quantum theory in everyday conditions and narrows the parameter space for models that seek to explain the quantum‑classical transition through spacetime fluctuations.