Intrinsic measurement errors for the speed of light in vacuum

Abstract

The speed of light in vacuum, one of the most important and precisely measured natural constants, is fixed by convention to c = 299 792 458 m s(-1). Advanced theories predict possible deviations from this universal value, or even quantum fluctuations of c. Combining arguments from quantum parameter estimation theory and classical general relativity, we here establish rigorously the existence of lower bounds on the uncertainty to which the speed of light in vacuum can be determined in a given region of space-time, subject to several reasonable restrictions. They provide a novel perspective on the experimental falsifiability of predictions for the quantum fluctuations of space-time.