Macroscopic quantum resonators in space
- Author(s)
- R. Kaltenbaek, G. Hechenblaikner, N. Kiesel, U. Johann, M. Aspelmeyer
- Abstract
While quantum concepts like superposition and entanglement are frequently being confirmed in the lab, these concepts seem to be in blatant contradiction to our everyday experience. There, objects are always in distinct states that can be verified without disturbing the system under investigation. Is there an essential difference between macroscopic and microscopic objects, and if there is, what brings about the transition between these two distinct realms, and when does it occur? This question lies at the heart of Schrdinger's famous gedankenexperiment, where a cat is brought into a superposition of being dead and alive. According to quantum theory, this is possible in principle as long as the system in question is isolated completely from its environment such that nobody could possibly know whether the system is in one state or the other except by performing a measurement on the system itself. Several theoretical models have been put forward that propose to modify the laws of quantum theory to introduce a collapse of the wavefunction for complex and/or massive objects or objects that are distributed over large distances [1-6]. We call these models macrorealistic.
- Organisation(s)
- Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information
- External organisation(s)
- EADS Astrium
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1109/CLEOE.2011.5943659
- Publication date
- 2011
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 103025 Quantum mechanics
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Portal url
- https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/macroscopic-quantum-resonators-in-space(96f2da30-3c4f-4096-87e8-1efe99f790c3).html