Quantum mechanics is a physics framework that describes how matter and energy behave at an extremely small scale, specifically at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. An effect predicted by the laws of quantum mechanics is superposition, which entails that particles can exist in multiple states or positions simultaneously, which remain indefinite until they are measured or observed.
A well-known example of a quantum state in which a system behaves as if it is in two contrasting states at once is the so-called Schrödinger cat state. This state is rooted in a paradox introduced by physicist Erwin Schrödinger, who proposed that if a cat is placed inside a sealed box with a device that has a 50% chance of killing it, the cat is simultaneously alive and dead until someone opens the box and looks inside it.
Researchers at Southern University of Science and Technology and the Quantum Science Center of Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area recently demonstrated the experimental generation of massive Schrödinger cat states using ultracold atoms—atoms cooled down to temperatures near to absolute zero.
Their paper, published in Nature Physics, opens new possibilities for the realization of quantum tunneling in larger quantum systems and the development of highly precise quantum sensors or measurement tools.
"Our work is motivated by two closely connected concepts: quantum tunneling and spatial quantum superposition," Bing Yang, who led the research team, told Phys.org.
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