The manipulation of matterwave represents a milestone in the history of quantum mechanics. It was at the basis of its experimental validation through the observation of diffraction of matter on crystals, as well as grating and Young's double-slit interference with electrons, neutron, atoms and molecules. More recently matterwave manipulation has become a building block in the implementation of quantum devices such as quantum sensors and it plays an essential role in many proposals for implementing quantum computers. In this letter we coherently control the spatial extent of the wavefunction by reversibly stretching and shrinking the wavefunction over a millimeter distance. The remarkable experimental simplicity of the scheme would ease applications in the field of quantum transport and quantum computing.
A quantum many-body model is presented with features similar to those of certain particle detectors. The energy spectrum contains a single metastable 'ready'-state and macroscopically-distinct 'pointer' states. Measurements do not pose paradoxes or require interventions outside the field theory formalism. Transitions into classical-like states can be triggered by a single particle with help of the thermal bath. Schroedinger cat states are associated with superpositions of inequivalent vacua, thus relating wavefunction collapse to the dynamics of symmetry breaking in phase transformations.
Wavefunctions for large electron numbers $N$ are plagued by the Exponential Wall Problem (EWP), i.e., an exponential increase in the dimensions of Hilbert space with $N$. Therefore they loose their meaning for macroscopic systems, a point stressed in particular by W. Kohn. The EWP has to be resolved in order to be able to perform electronic structure calculations, e.g., for solids. The origin of the EWP is the multiplicative property of wavefunctions when independent subsystems are considered. Therefore it can only be avoided when wavefunctions are formulated so that they are additive instead,…
We show that two-mode squeezed vacuum-like states may be engineered in the Bohm-Madelung formalism by adequately choosing the phase of the wavefunction. The difference between our wavefunction and the one of the squeezed vacuum states is given precisely by the phase we choose.
An interpretation of the probability flux is given, based on a derivation of its eigenstates and relating them to coherent state projections on a quantum wavefunction. An extended definition of the flux operator is obtained using coherent states. We present a "processed Husimi" representation, which makes decisions using many Husimi projections at each location. The processed Husimi representation reverse engineers or deconstructs the wavefunction, yielding the underlying classical ray structure. Our approach makes possible interpreting the dynamics of systems where the probability flux is uni…
A deterministic scheme for generating a macroscopic superposition state of a nanomechanical resonator is proposed. The nonclassical state is generated through a suitably engineered dissipative dynamics exploiting the optomechanical quadratic interaction with a bichromatically driven optical cavity mode. The resulting driven dissipative dynamics can be employed for monitoring and testing the decoherence processes affecting the nanomechanical resonator under controlled conditions.
In the first paper of this series, I introduced a non-linear, Hamiltonian, generalization of Schroedinger's theory that blocks formation of macroscopic dispersion ("cats"). But that theory was entirely deterministic, and so the origin of random outcomes in experiments such as Stern-Gerlach or EPRB was left open. Here I propose that Schroedinger's wavefunction has a random component and demonstrate that such an improvised stochastic theory can violate Bell's inequality. Repeated measurements and the back-reaction on the microsystem are discussed in a toy example. Experiments that might falsify …
Controlling quantum fluids at their fundamental length scale will yield superlative quantum simulators, precision sensors, and spintronic devices. This scale is typically below the optical diffraction limit, precluding precise wavefunction engineering using optical potentials alone. We present a protocol to rapidly control the phase and density of a quantum fluid down to the healing length scale using strong time-dependent coupling between internal states of the fluid in a magnetic field gradient. We demonstrate this protocol by simulating the creation of a single stationary soliton and double…
Almost a century after the development of quantum mechanics, we still do not have a consensus on the process of collapse of wavefunctions. Some theories require the intervention of a conscious observer while some see it as a stochastic process, and most theories violate energy conservation. In this paper we hypothesise that the collapse of wavefunctions can be caused by interactions with other objects (macroscopic or microscopic) and energy is conserved in that process. To test various hypotheses regarding collapse of wavefunctions, we propose a model system which is the quantum analogue of a …
The transition from microscopic to macroscopic in quantum mechanics can be seen from various points of view. It is often not merely a transition from quantum to classical mechanics in the sense of the Correspondence Principle. The fact that real macroscopic objects like baseballs are composites of an extremely large number of microscopic particles (electrons, protons etc.) is a complicating factor. Here such composite objects are studied in some detail and the Copenhagen interpretation is applied to them. A computer game model for a simplified composite object is used to illustrate some of the…
We show using a realistic Hamiltonian-type model that definite outcomes of quantum measurements may emerge from quantum evolution of pure states, i.e quantum dynamics provides a deterministic collapse of the wavefunction in a quantum measurement process. The relaxation of the wavefunction into a pointer state with classical properties is driven by the interaction with an environment. The destruction of superpositions, i.e. choosing a preferred attraction basin and thereby a preferred pointer state, is caused by a tiny nonlinearity in the macroscopic measurement apparatus. In more details, we n…
High-dimensional entangled states of light provide novel possibilities for quantum information, from fundamental tests of quantum mechanics to enhanced computation and communication protocols. In this context, the frequency degree of freedom combines the assets of robustness to propagation and easy handling with standard telecommunication components. Here we use an integrated semiconductor chip to engineer the wavefunction and exchange statistics of frequency-entangled photon pairs directly at the generation stage, without post-manipulation. Tuning the spatial properties of the pump beam allow…
Generation of quantum correlations between separate objects is of significance both in fundamental physics and in quantum networks. One important challenge is to create the directional "spooky action-at-a-distanc" effects that Schrödinger called "steering" between two macroscopic and massive objects. Here, we analyze a generic scheme for generating steering correlations in cascaded hybrid systems in which two distant oscillators with effective masses of opposite signs are coupled to a unidirectional light field, a setup which is known to build up quantum correlations by means of quantum back-a…
Is there a single linearly evolving Wave Function of the Universe that is able to lead to all the nonlinearities we see around us? This proposal seems a priori highly implausible. I claim that instead, in the real Universe, generically only local wave functions exist. Non-local wave functions occur for carefully engineered contexts such as Bell experiments, but there is no single wave function for a cat or similar macroscopic objects such as a brain. Contextual wave function collapse leads to a defensible version of the Copenhagen interpretation, where classical macro levels provide the contex…
The overwhelming majority of scientists still takes it for granted that classical mechanics (ClM) is nothing but a limiting case of quantum mechanics (QM). Although some physicists restrict this belief to a generalized QM as represented, e. g., by the algebra of observables, it will be shown in this contribution that the view of ClM as a mere sub-set of QM is nevertheless unfounded. The usual attempts to derive the laws of ClM from QM are either insufficient or not universally applicable. The transition from traditional to algebraic QM does not add any further insight. It is demonstrated that …
An emergent theory of quantum measurement arises directly by considering the particular subset of many body wavefunctions that can be associated with classical condensed matter and its interaction with delocalized wavefunctions. This transfers questions of the "strangeness" of quantum mechanics from the wavefunction to the macroscopic material itself. An effectively many-worlds picture of measurement results for long times and induces a natural arrow of time. The challenging part is then justifying why our macroscopic world is dominated by such far-from-eigenstate matter. Condensing cold mesos…
Macroscopic Spin GHZ States with a Levitated Ferromagnet
National University of Singapore（新加坡国立大学）；Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore（新加坡国立大学量子技术中心）；A*STAR Quantum Innovation Centre (Q.InC), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)（A*STAR量子创新中心（Q.InC），科学技术研究局（A*STAR））
We first consider the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox for the system of two particles with spin 1/2 with entangled spins in first-quantized quantum mechanics (QM). If measurement is governed by wavefunction collapse, then gedanken experiments show that a number of fundamental principles including conservation of angular momentum and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle can be violated. We conclude that the collapse of the spin part of the wavefunction cannot happen and therefore an EPR paradox does not arise for this system. QM unitarity alone is sufficient to rule out "spooky" action at…
We provide a scheme for the generation of entangled number states of Bose-Einstein condensates in multiple wells with cyclic pairwise connectivity. The condensate ground state in a multiple well trap can self-evolve, when phase engineered with specific initial phase differences between the neighboring wells, to a macroscopic superposition state with controllable entanglement -- to multiple well generalization of double well NOON states. We demonstrate through numerical simulations the creation of entangled states in three and four wells and then explore the creation of "larger" entangled state…
A mechanism of a pinning of the quantized matter wave vortices by optical vortices in a specially arranged optical dipole traps is discussed. The vortex-antivortex optical arrays of rectangular symmetry are shown to transfer angular orbital momentum and form the "antiferromagnet"-like matter waves. The separable Hamiltonian for matter waves in pancake trapping geometry is proposed and 3D-wavefunction is factorized in a product of wavefunctions of the 1D harmonic oscillator and 2D vortex-antivortex quantum state. The 2D wavefunction's phase gradient field associated via Madelung transform with …
We report the experimental realization of squeezed quantum states of light, tailored for new applications in quantum communication and metrology. Squeezed states in a broad Fourier frequency band down to 1 Hz has been observed for the first time. Nonclassical properties of light in such a low frequency band is required for high efficiency quantum information storage in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) media. The states observed also cover the frequency band of ultra-high precision laser interferometers for gravitational wave detection and can be used to reach the regime of quantu…
Spontaneous symmetry breaking originats in quantum mechanical measurement of the relevant observable defining the physical situation, order parameter is the average of this observable. A modification is made on the random-phase postulate validating the ensemble description. Off-diagonal long-range order, macroscopic wavefunction and interference effects in many-particle systems present when there is a so-called nucleation of quantum state, which is proposed to be the origin of spontaneous gauge symmetry breaking, for which nonconservation of particle number N is not essential. The approach bas…
Emergent classicality and wavefunction branching in an isolated quantum many-body system
Center for Theoretical Physics — a Leinweber Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院理论物理中心）；Harvard University（哈佛大学）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；NTT Research, Inc.（日本电报电话公司研究所）
Carrying out a research program outlined by John S. Bell in 1987, we arrive at a relativistic version of the Ghirardi-Rimini-Weber (GRW) model of spontaneous wavefunction collapse. The GRW model was proposed as a solution of the measurement problem of quantum mechanics and involves a stochastic and nonlinear modification of the Schrödinger equation. It deviates very little from the Schrödinger equation for microscopic systems but efficiently suppresses, for macroscopic systems, superpositions of macroscopically different states. As suggested by Bell, we take the primitive ontology, or local be…
Working entirely within the Schroedinger paradigm, meaning wavefunction only, I present a modification of his theory that prevents formation of macroscopic dispersion (MD; "cats"). The proposal is to modify the Hamiltonian based on a method introduced by Steven Weinberg in 1989, as part of a program to test quantum mechanics at the atomic or nuclear level. By contrast, the intent here is to eliminate MD without affecting the predictions of quantum mechanics at the microscopic scale. This restores classical physics at the macro level. Possible experimental tests are indicated and the difference…
Wavefunction collapse models modify Schrodinger's equation so that it describes the rapid evolution of a superposition of macroscopically distinguishable states to one of them. This provides a phenomenological basis for a physical resolution to the so-called "measurement problem." Such models have experimentally testable differences from standard quantum theory. The most well developed such model at present is the Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) model in which a fluctuating classical field interacts with particles to cause collapse. One "side effect" of this interaction is that the f…
In the previous companion paper, we proposed a subclass of wavefunctions to describe macroscopic solids that resolved and extended the theory quantum measurement and gave a more specific treatment of quasiparticles. Here we extend these notions to thermalization of solids and gases and to gas state hydrodynamics. This gives a modification of the thermodynamic limit to justify the canonical averages for "typical wavefunctions" without the use of ensembles. The energetic cost of vorticity is contrasted in the classical and ultracold gas limits. From this perspective, we then examine the applicab…
In this paper we review recent progress in studying quantum phase transitions in one- and two-component Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) in optical lattices. These phase transitions involve the emergence and disappearance of quantum coherence over whole optical lattice and of linear superposition of macroscopic quantum states. The latter may provide new means to engineer and to manipulate novel macroscopic quantum states and novel coherent atomic beams for quantum information processing, quantum computing etc.
Measurement of quantum state wavefunction not only acts as a fundamental part in quantum physics but also plays an important role in developing practical quantum technologies. Conventional quantum state tomography has been widely used to estimate quantum wavefunctions, which, however, requires huge measurement resources exponentially growing with the dimension of state. The recent weak-value-based quantum measurement circumvents this resources issue but relies on an extra pointer space. Here, we propose and demonstrate a simple and direct measurement strategy based on $δ$-quench probe: By quen…
Descriptions of molecular systems usually refer to two distinct theoretical frameworks. On the one hand the quantum pure state, i.e. the wavefunction, of an isolated system which is determined to calculate molecular properties and to consider the time evolution according to the unitary Schrödinger equation. On the other hand a mixed state, i.e. a statistical density matrix, is the standard formalism to account for thermal equilibrium, as postulated in the microcanonical quantum statistics. In the present paper an alternative treatment relying on a statistical analysis of the possible wavefunct…
Autonomous quantum thermal machines do not require an external coherent drive or work input to perform the desired tasks, which makes them a promising candidate for thermal management in quantum systems. Here, we propose an autonomous quantum thermal machine in which two uncoupled macroscopic mechanical resonators or microwave resonators achieve considerable entanglement via a hot thermal bath. This becomes possible by coupling the resonators to a common two-level system or third harmonic oscillator and driving it by the hot incoherent thermal bath. The critical step to make the entanglement i…
We describe a hybrid quantum system composed of a micrometer-size carbon nanotube (CNT) longitudinally coupled to a flux qubit. We demonstrate the usefulness of this device for generating high-fidelity nonclassical states of the CNT via dissipative quantum engineering. Sideband cooling of the CNT to its ground state and generating a squeezed ground state, as a mechanical analogue of the optical squeezed vacuum, are two additional examples of the dissipative quantum engineering studied here. Moreover, we show how to generate a long-lived macroscopically-distinct superposition (i.e., a Schröding…
Entanglement is a striking feature of quantum mechanics and an essential ingredient in most applications in quantum information. Typically, coupling of a system to an environment inhibits entanglement, particularly in macroscopic systems. Here we report on an experiment, where dissipation continuously generates entanglement between two macroscopic objects. This is achieved by engineering the dissipation using laser- and magnetic fields, and leads to robust event-ready entanglement maintained for 0.04s at room temperature. Our system consists of two ensembles containing about 10^{12} atoms and …
For the Josephson junction charge qubits with macroscopically quantum natures, we propose a theoretical scheme to observe the loss of quantum coherence through coupling such qubit system to an engineered reservoir, the harmonic oscillator mode in the LC circuit formed by the inductor and the separated capacitors. Similar to the usual cavity QED system in form, this charge qubit system with engineered couplings shows the quantum jumps (C.P.Sun et al Fortschr. Phys. \textbf{43}, 585 (1995))in a progressive decoherence process. Corresponding to two components of superposition of two charge states…
The problems with an emergent approach to quantum statistical mechanics are discussed and shown to follow from some of the same sources as those of quantum measurement. A wavefunction of an N atom solid is described in the ground and excited eigenstates with explicit modifications for phonons. Using the particular subclass of wavefunctions that can correspond to classical solids we investigate the localization properties of atomic centers of mass motion and contrast it with more general linear combinations of phonon states. The effectively large mass of longer modes means that localization pre…
We propose a solution to the quantum measurement problem in Inflation. Our model treats Fourier modes of cosmological perturbations as analogous to particles in a weakly-interacting Bose gas. We generalize the idea of a macroscopic wavefunction to cosmological fields, and construct a self-interaction Hamiltonian that focuses that wavefunction. By appropriately setting the coupling between modes, we obtain the standard adiabatic, scale-invariant power spectrum. Because of Central Limit Theorem (CLT), we recover a Gaussian Random Field, consistent with observations.
Photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion are essential for optical quantum information processing, in which the quality of biphoton states is crucial for the performance. To engineer the biphoton wavefunction (BWF) on-chip, the pump envelope function and the phase matching function are commonly adjusted, while the modal field overlap has been considered as a constant in the frequency range of interest. In this work, by utilizing modal coupling in a system of coupled waveguides, we explore the modal field overlap as a new degree of freedom for biphoton engineering. We pr…
A model of quantum measurement, illustrated using the spin--boson model, is formulated in terms of a cascading pair of quantum phase transitions. The first produces the desired superposition of macroscopic responses to the microscopic state under investigation, while the second provides a mechanism for subsequent "wavefunction collapse," suppressing superpositions of distinct macroscopic states, producing instead a density matrix that implements the expected classical observation outcome via the Born probability rule. Motivated by numerous carefully designed measurements that may occur during …
Based on the conditional quantum dynamics of laser-ion interaction, we propose an efficient theoretical scheme to deterministically generate quantum pure states of a single trapped cold ion without performing the Lamb-Dicke approximation. An arbitrary quantum state can be created by using a series of classical laser beams with selected frequencies, initial phases and durations. As special examples, we further show how to create or approximate several typical macroscopic quantum states, such as the phase state and (even/odd) coherent states. Unlike previous schemes operated in the Lamb-Dicke re…
Nonclassical states of macroscopic objects are promising for ultrasensitive metrology as well as testing quantum mechanics. In this work, we investigate dissipative mechanical quantum state engineering in an optically levitated nanodiamond. First, we study single-mode mechanical squeezed states by magnetically coupling the mechanical motion to a dressed three-level system provided by a Nitrogen-vacancy center in the nanoparticle. Quantum coherence between the dressed levels is created via microwave fields to induce a two-phonon transition, which results in mechanical squeezing. Remarkably, we …
We study a model of spontaneous wavefunction collapse for a free quantum particle. We analyze in detail the time evolution of the single-Gaussian solution and the double-Gaussian solution, showing how the reduction mechanism induces the localization of the wavefunction in space; we also study the asymptotic behavior of the general solution. With an appropriate choice for the parameter $λ$ which sets the strength of the collapse mechanism, we prove that: i) the effects of the reducing terms on the dynamics of microscopic systems are negligible, the physical predictions of the model being very c…
The classical behaviour of a macroscopic system consisting of a large number of microscopic systems is derived in the framework of the Bohmian interpretation of quantum mechanics. Under appropriate assumptions concerning the localization and factorization of the wavefunction it is shown explicitly that the center of mass motion of the system is determined by the classical equations of motion.
Variational wave functions have been a successful tool to investigate the properties of quantum spin liquids. Finding their parent Hamiltonians is of primary interest for the experimental simulation of these strongly correlated phases, and for gathering additional insights on their stability. In this work, we systematically reconstruct approximate spin-chain parent Hamiltonians for Jastrow-Gutzwiller wave functions, which share several features with quantum spin liquid wave-functions in two dimensions. Firstly, we determine the different phases encoded in the parameter space through their corr…
The advent of the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem in 1964, its extension to finite-T, Kohn-Sham theory, and relativistic extensions provide the well-established formalism of density-functional theory (DFT). This theory enables the calculation of all static properties of quantum systems {\it without} the need for an n-body wavefunction ψ. DFT uses the one-body density distribution instead of ψ. The more recent time-dependent formulations of DFT attempt to describe the time evolution of quantum systems without using the time-dependent wavefunction. Although DFT has become the standard tool of condensed-m…
