English

Towards quantum superpositions of a mirror

Quantum Physics 2009-11-07 v1

Abstract

We propose a scheme for creating quantum superposition states involving of order 101410^{14} atoms via the interaction of a single photon with a tiny mirror. This mirror, mounted on a high-quality mechanical oscillator, is part of a high-finesse optical cavity which forms one arm of a Michelson interferometer. By observing the interference of the photon only, one can study the creation and decoherence of superpositions involving the mirror. All experimental requirements appear to be within reach of current technology.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.quant-ph/0210001,
  title  = {Towards quantum superpositions of a mirror},
  author = {William Marshall and Christoph Simon and Roger Penrose and Dik Bouwmeester},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:quant-ph/0210001},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

5 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett

R2 v1 2026-07-22T19:36:32.168Z