General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSchrödinger's Cat Now Lives And Dies In Two Boxes At Once
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2016/may/27/schroedingers-cat-lives-and-dies-in-two-boxes-at-once"Schrödinger's cat now has a second box to play in, thanks to an international team of physicists that has created a two-mode "Schrödinger's cat state" for the first time. The experiment brings together two purely quantum properties, in that the "cat" (i.e. the photons) is simultaneously "alive and dead" (in a superposition of states) while also in two locations at once (the two boxes are entangled with one another).
The experiment is a step towards creating the larger and more sophisticated quantum states that are necessary to make quantum computing a reality. The team says that the work also demonstrates a two-logical-qubit system with in-built quantum error correction, making it a great resource for quantum metrology and quantum-communication networks.
Quantum cats
The famous Schrödinger's cat paradox, first proposed in 1935, is based on one of the most basic tenets of quantum mechanics superposition. This arises because a microscopic particle such as a photon is considered to simultaneously be in all possible "states" (or spatial positions in this experiment) until a measurement is made and its wavefunction collapses. In the real "classical" world, however, macroscopic objects such as cats do not exist in a superposition of states. This is usually explained in terms of "decoherence", whereby a state loses its coherent quantum nature thanks to interactions with the environment. However, just where the boundary between the classical and quantum worlds lies is still a bit of a mystery.
Today, physicists can create multiparticle systems made up of many photons that are collectively in a superposition of two very different or extreme states. These are known as "Schrödinger's cat states" and are easily distinguishable from each other. These systems can be achieved in the lab using harmonic oscillators. The oscillation of a microwave field, for example, can be thought of a swinging pendulum and the two different states are equivalent to the pendulum at the far left or right of its swing. In a cat state, the pendulum is at both distinct positions at once. Such harmonic oscillators are preferable to using atoms to create the two extreme states because the two swing positions are far more distinct and are separated by a distance that can include large numbers of intermediate states.
..."
--------------------------------
Oh, that crazy cat!
yodermon
(6,143 posts)merrily
(45,251 posts)HuckleB
(35,773 posts)elljay
(1,178 posts)that they simultaneously are not wearing.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)eridani
(51,907 posts)Two. One to change the light bulb, and the other to not change it.
annabanana
(52,791 posts)I just barely get the gist enough to blow my poor, inadequate mind.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Fuddnik
(8,846 posts)The live one met my dog.
A Simple Game
(9,214 posts)Even better, put a cricket in the smallest of nesting dolls then insert into the next, then the next, etc.
Physics is increasingly becoming irrelevant to the real world. I would wish to come back in 100 years to learn how relevant any of the current hypothesis are to the actual world. Odds are that I would be right with the irrelevance part. There might be a relevant theory out there but I doubt it is one of the current popular ones, and yes popular is the right word to use.
annabanana
(52,791 posts)real world applications take time
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)unc70
(6,110 posts)I really needed the nerd humor.
Interesting article, great thread.
annabanana
(52,791 posts)HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (gasp)
(whew!)
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Ilsa
(61,694 posts)GummyBearz
(2,931 posts)I remember doing that double slit experiment back in physics lab. We didn't use cats though
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)MisterP
(23,730 posts)engineering says the glass is twice too large
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)I wouldn't be surprised if, sometime in the next 100 years, an improvement in computer speed is linked to the research track of which this is a part.
When Einstein propounded his theory of relativity, I doubt that anyone saw much practical application for the time dilation based on velocity (special relativity) or gravity (general relativity). The effects were too small and arose only at velocities or differences in field strength that were not encountered in human affairs. Today, these effects are essential to the calculations that underlie GPS devices. If the system didn't correct for relativistic effects, a new satellite would become useless within hours after its launch.
Nirgendwo
(32 posts)...are they trying to build a transporter? Or what? I'll wait until they work the bugs out and clean up all that cat fur.
jtuck004
(15,882 posts)Dustlawyer
(10,495 posts)DrBulldog
(841 posts)Asleep.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)brooklynite
(94,501 posts)eating
sleeping
prowling in the garden
hiding under the table to avoid being given medicine
Jerry442
(1,265 posts)It looks half dead.
Squinch
(50,946 posts)Kablooie
(18,625 posts)HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)brooklynite
(94,501 posts)Deep.
GummyBearz
(2,931 posts)From what I remember about solving the basic Schrodinger equation is that the box walls provided the boundary values for the closed form solution of the differential equation. I guess there is now a more advanced solution involving quantum tunneling perhaps? I'm not going to read the article because the thought of a cat being in 2 boxes at once scares the shit out of me (cats hate me). A lot of my friends have cats and I will NEVER let one get into a box with another box close by ever again.
Bill USA
(6,436 posts)just a little entanglement joke. this is fascinating stuff. -- maybe I should say 'mind-blowing' stuff!
Hekate
(90,642 posts)beastie boy
(9,307 posts)I don't know which is where, but I better go measure it before it creates a mess in both the kitchen and the bathroom and blames it on the dead one.
... This better work, or I am suing Dr. Schrödinger.
GummyBearz
(2,931 posts)That shit is scary
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)central scrutinizer
(11,648 posts)Are driving and get stopped by a traffic cop. The cop asked, "Do you know how fast you were going?" Heisenberg replied, "No, but I know where I am." The cop replied, "OK, smart ass, open the trunk." Heisenberg pulls the trunk latch. The cop says, "Hey, did you know you have a dead cat in here?" Schrodinger exclaims, "Now, I do!"
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Quackers
(2,256 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)and one where the cat is really pissed off at you for fucking with 3rd nap?
Go ahead, try and make me get back in that box!