Thus, the cat is both alive and dead when it is not observed. If the laws of quantum physics are extrapolated, they tell us that until someone opens the box, the cat would be in a state of “superposition”, wherein it would be simultaneously alive and dead.
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The researchers, most importantly, were able to measure the light in both boxes without disturbing the photons in any way, keeping the dual state successfully. Makes flawless quantum sense, right? This marries Schrödinger’s theory with a major quantum physics concept called entanglement.
The experiment represents identity at a macro-level state in the world of quantum reality. But quantum bits, or “qubits”, have the ability to encode for both at the same time, allowing for vast numbers of calculations to be processed simultaneously. They measured the number of photons in each box, knowing that cat states made from electromagnetic waves should always turn up with an even number of photons.
They have identical states and become interrelated to each other. These systems can be achieved in the lab using harmonic oscillators. Then, the cat can’t be doing both things at once. Scientists can now place a wave-packet of light composed of hundreds of particles simultaneously in two distinctly different states. Here, the live cat corresponds to the microwave field in both cavities swinging in the positive direction, while the dead cat corresponds to the field swinging in the negative direction.
This hypothetical experiment, envisioned by one of the founding fathers of quantum mechanics in 1935, has found vivid analogies in laboratories in recent years.
The team’s device is made up of two, 3D microwave cavities and a monitoring port – all connected by a superconducting, artificial atom. There are up to a few tens of photons in each cavity.
Before we actually go into the details of the new experiment, let’s run through the basics of the original Schrodinger’s cat thought experiment. Just how big the distinguishability distance must be before the state can be classified as “macroscopic” is still fairly subjective.
In a very basic sense, the paradox of Schrödinger’s cat is something most people have experienced.
The results of the experiment can be interpreted in two different ways, according to the researchers.
Then, the photons in one of the cavities were put up against a maze of gates, giving them a distinct spin.
Microwave photons trapped in a box can be coaxed into a so-called “cat” state.
‘This cat is big and smart, ‘ said Chen Wang, a postdoctoral associate at Yale and first author of a study in the journal Science, describing the research. In a similar manner, quantum particles may be in two states at one and the same time. An alternative view emerges if you consider the state of each cavity individually by performing single-box measurements.
While other experiments have already demonstrated the superposition of quantum particles, this study took it a step further, and asked what would happen if the cat were in two boxes.
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Cat states are of interest in part because they could be very useful for storing quantum information.
