Related papers: Nature abhors macroscopic superpositions
A reason is discussed (may be not the only one) for why we do not see any superposition of macroscopic states in the real world. Under the general assumption that quantum macrostates are statistical ensembles of microstates, it is shown…
Linear superpositions of macroscopically distinct quantum states (sometimes also called Schr\"odinger cat states) are usually almost immediately reduced to a statistical mixture if exposed to the dephasing influence of a dissipative…
The superposition principle is one of the most fundamental principles of quantum mechanics. According to the Schr\"odinger equation, a physical system can be in any linear combination of its possible states. While the validity of this…
We discuss the idea that superpositions in quantum mechanics may involve contradictions or contradictory properties. A state of superposition such as the one comprised in the famous Schr\"odinger's cat, for instance, is sometimes said to…
In this paper we re-investigate the core of Schroedinger's 'cat paradox'. We argue that one has to distinguish clearly between superpositions of macroscopic cat states and superpositions of entangled states which comprise both the state of…
Mesoscopic quantum superpositions, or Schr\"odinger cat states, are widely studied for fundamental investigations of quantum measurement and decoherence as well as applications in sensing and quantum information science. The generation and…
The quantum state of Schroedinger's cat is usually incorrectly described as a superposition of "dead" and "alive," despite an argument by Rinner and Werner that, locally, the cat should be considered to be in a mixture of non-superposed…
We investigate the feasibility of observing matter-wave interference of a micron-sized charged particle by putting it into a quantum superposition of states with a distinguishable separation. In the proposed method, an atomic ion is…
Schr\"odinger's famous Gedankenexperiment has inspired multiple generations of physicists to think about apparent paradoxes that arise when the logic of quantum physics is applied to macroscopic objects. The development of quantum…
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…
By comparing Schr\"odinger's cat with its classical counterpart, I show that a quantum superposition should be understood as an expectation over possible eigenstates weighted by wave-like probabilities. Upon the occurrence of a certain…
For any choice of initial state and weak assumptions about the Hamiltonian, large isolated quantum systems undergoing Schrodinger evolution spend most of their time in macroscopic superposition states. The result follows from von Neumann's…
Schr\"odinger's cat puzzle is resolved. The reason why we do not see a macroscopic superposition of states is cleared in the light of Everett's formulation of quantum mechanics.
This paper reviews and suggests a resolution of the problem of definite outcomes of measurement. This problem, also known as "Schrodinger's cat," has long posed an apparent paradox because the state resulting from a measurement appears to…
We investigate the time evolution of a superposition of macroscopically distinct quantum states in a system of two-level atoms interacting with a thermal environment of photon modes. We show that the atomic coherent states are robust…
In the Schr\"odinger-cat gedanken experiment a cat is in a quantum superposition of two macroscopically distinct states, alive and dead.The paradoxical interpretation of quantum mechanics is that the cat is not in one state or the other,…
The Schr\"odinger cat state plays a crucial role in quantum theory, and has important fundamental as well as technological implications, ranging from quantum measurement theory to quantum computers. The power of the potential implications…
We investigate the possibility of interference effects induced by macroscopic quantum-mechanical superpositions of almost othogonal coherent states - a Schroedinger cats state - in a resonant microcavity. Despite the fact that a single…
We elucidate the relationship between Schr\"odinger-cat-like macroscopicity and geometric entanglement, and argue that these quantities are not interchangeable. While both properties are lost due to decoherence, we show that macroscopicity…
Macroscopic quantum optical effects (Schrodinger cat states, squeezing, collapse and revival) for light beams propagating in an inhomogeneous linear medium are demonstrated using exact analytical solutions of wave equation. It is shown that…