Exploring the intersection of sound reverberation and quantum interference behavior
Juliette Tudoce, Reiko E. Yamada, Maciej Lewenstein · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2025
While the relationship between quantum physics and sound may not be immediately apparent, it offers profound insights into wave behavior and interference patterns. This work investigates how acoustic reverberation—a classical sound phenomenon—compares to quantum interference because they share principles of wave interaction within bounded systems. Reverberation occurs when a sound source interacts with an acoustic cavity and this interaction creates complicated interference patterns that resemble the quantum behaviors observed in cavity quantum electrodynamics. Investigating these parallels shows connections between acoustic and quantum systems and links spectral enhancements in sound to phenomena like the Casimir effect in near-field physics. The main objectives of this research are to use simulated reverberation tools in artistic and electro-acoustic music creation, designed by harnessing quantum interference principles; explain real-world reverberative sound behavior in controlled environments by providing a quantum framework; and theoretically create the equivalence of acoustic reverberation in quantum interference. This project results in a cross-disciplinary approach that bridges physics and acoustics, allowing applications in sound design and quantum-inspired audio synthesis.