Related papers: Large Quantum Superpositions and Interference of M…
We analyze the requirements to test some of the most paradigmatic collapse models with a protocol that prepares quantum superpositions of massive objects. This consists of coherently expanding the wave function of a ground-state-cooled…
Matter-wave interferometry performed with massive objects elucidates their wave nature and thus tests the quantum superposition principle at large scales. Whereas standard quantum theory places no limit on particle size, alternative, yet…
We analyse a proposal that we have recently put forward for an interface between matter-wave and optomechanical technologies from the perspective of macroscopic quantumness. In particular, by making use of a measure of macroscopicity in…
Quantum superposition is central to quantum theory but challenges our concepts of reality and spacetime when applied to macroscopic objects like Schr\"odinger's cat. For that reason, it has been a long-standing question whether quantum…
We review recent progress and future prospects of matter wave interferometry with complex organic molecules and inorganic clusters. Three variants of a near-field interference effect, based on diffraction by material nanostructures, at…
We consider fundamental limits on the detectable size of macroscopic quantum superpositions. We argue that a full quantum mechanical treatment of system plus measurement device is required, and that a (classical) reference frame for phase…
The quantum superposition principle, a key distinction between quantum physics and classical mechanics, is often perceived as a philosophical challenge to our concepts of reality, locality or space-time since it contrasts our intuitive…
The superposition principle is the cornerstone of quantum mechanics, leading to a variety of genuinely quantum effects. Whether the principle applies also to macroscopic systems or, instead, there is a progressive breakdown when moving to…
We present a scheme for achieving macroscopic quantum superpositions in optomechanical systems by using single photon postselection and detecting them with nested interferometers. This method relieves many of the challenges associated with…
The quantum superposition principle is a cornerstone of physics and at the heart of many quantum technologies. Yet, it is still often regarded counterintuitive because we do not observe its key features on the macroscopic scales of our…
Micro-optomechanical systems are central to a number of recent proposals for realizing quantum mechanical effects in relatively massive systems. Here we focus on a particular class of experiments which aim to demonstrate massive quantum…
Whether quantum physics is universally valid is an open question with far-reaching implications. Intense research is therefore invested into testing the quantum superposition principle with ever heavier and more complex objects. Here we…
Experimental observation of the decoherence of macroscopic objects is of fundamental importance to the study of quantum collapse models and the quantum to classical transition. Optomechanics is a promising field for the study of such models…
The test of modifications to quantum mechanics aimed at identifying the fundamental reasons behind the un-observability of quantum mechanical superpositions at the macro-scale is a crucial goal of modern quantum mechanics. Within the…
Quantum mechanics predicts that massive particles exhibit wave-like behavior. Matterwave interferometry has been able to validate such predictions through ground-breaking experiments involving microscopic systems like atoms and molecules.…
It has been a long-standing goal to bring massive objects into a superposition of different locations in real space, not only to confirm quantum theory in new regimes, but also to explore the interface with gravity. The main challenge is…
An operational measure to quantify the sizes of some ``macroscopic quantum superpositions'', realized in recent experiments, is proposed. The measure is based on the fact that a superposition presents greater sensitivity in interferometric…
The preceding BCA (Stamper-Kurn et. al., arXiv:1607.01454) asserts that our observation of interference contrast in a half-metre-scale atom interferometer (Kovachy et. al., Nature 528, 530-3 (2015)) does not prove the existence of…
Hypothetical models have been proposed in which explicit collapse mechanisms prevent the superposition principle to hold at large scales. In particular, the model introduced by Ellis and co-workers [Phys. Lett. B ${\bf 221}$, 113 (1989)]…
We report an algorithm, based on quantum optics formulation, where a coherent state is used as the elementary quantum resource for the image representation. We provide an architecture with constituent optical elements in linear order with…