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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…
With the slow but constant progress in the coherent control of quantum systems, it is now possible to create large quantum superpositions. There has therefore been an increased interest in quantifying any claims of macroscopicity. We…
The notion of a macroscopic quantum state must be pinned down in order to assess how well experiments probe the large-scale limits of quantum mechanics. However, the issue of quantifying so-called quantum macroscopicity is fraught with…
Based on phase-space structures of quantum states, we propose a novel measure to quantify macroscopic quantum superpositions. Our measure simultaneously quantifies two different kinds of essential information for a given quantum state in a…
In this article, we study the problem of comparing mixed quantum states: given $n$ unknown mixed quantum states, can one determine whether they are identical or not with an unambiguous quantum measurement? We first study universal…
We present a review and discussions on characterizations and quantifications of macroscopic quantum states as well as their implementations and applications in optical systems. We compare and criticize different measures proposed to define…
We propose a criterion which defines whether a superposition of two photonic components is macroscopic. It is based on the ability to discriminate these components with a particular class of "classical" detectors, namely a photon number…
Quantum coherence is important in quantum mechanics, and its essence is from superposition principle. We study the coherence of any two pure states and that of their arbitrary superposition, and obtain the relationship between them. In the…
We consider the characterization of quantum superposition states beyond the pattern "dead and alive". We propose a measure that is applicable to superpositions of multiple macroscopically distinct states, superpositions with different…
Different ensembles of quantum states can have the same average nonpure state. Distinguishing between such constructions, via different mixing procedures of the same nonpure quantum state, is known to entail signaling. In parallel,…
Coherent superpositions are one of the hallmarks of quantum mechanics and are vital for any quantum mechanical device to outperform the classically achievable. Generically, superpositions are verified in interference experiments, but…
We propose an experimentally accessible, objective measure for the macroscopicity of superposition states in mechanical quantum systems. Based on the observable consequences of a minimal, macrorealist extension of quantum mechanics, it…
When observations must come from incompatible devices and cannot be produced by compatible devices? This question motivates two integer valued quantifications of incompatibility, called incompatibility dimension and compatibility dimension.…
In quantum systems, entanglement corresponds to nonclassical correlation of nonlocal observables. Thus, entanglement (or, to the contrary, separability) of a given quantum state is not uniquely determined by properties of the state, but may…
We introduce a measure of the compatibility between quantum states--the likelihood that two density matrices describe the same object. Our measure is motivated by two elementary requirements, which lead to a natural definition. We list some…
It is well known that different preparations of a mixed state cannot be distinguished by a measurement of that state. Yet we show that some other experiments let us make this distinction despite a very general belief that this would not be…
We investigate the notion of "macroscopicity" in the case of large quantum spin systems and provide two main results. First, we motivate the Fisher information as a measure for the macroscopicity of quantum states. Second, we compare the…
We investigate the extent to which we can establish whether or not two quantum systems have been prepared in the same state. We investigate the possibility of universal unambiguous state comparison. We show that it is impossible to…
We develop criteria sufficient to enable detection of macroscopic coherence where there are not just two macroscopically distinct outcomes for a pointer measurement, but rather a spread of outcomes over a macroscopic range. The criteria…
We explore the sense in which the state of a physical system may or may not be regarded (an) observable in quantum mechanics. Simple and general arguments from various lines of approach are reviewed which demonstrate the following no-go…