In a previous paper we examined the role of a conscious observer in a typical quantum mechanical measurement. Four rules were given that were found to govern the stochastic choice and state reduction in several cases of continuous and intermittent observation. It was shown that consciousness always accompanies a state reduction leading to observation, but its presence is not sufficient to 'cause' a reduction. The distinction is clarified and codified by the rules that are repeated below. In this paper, these rules are successfully applied to two different versions of the Schrodinger cat experiment. Key Words: Brain states, boundary conditions, cat paradox, consciousness, conscious observer, environment, decoherence, macroscopic superposition, measurement, state reduction, state collapse, von Neumann.
We know that the original Schrödinger cat states has no amplitude-squared squeezing. In this paper, we investigate the amplitude-squared squeezing of Schrödinger cat states using postselected von Neumann measurement. The results show that after postselected von Neumann measurement, the amplitude-squared squeezing of Schrödinger cat states change dramatically and this can be considered a result of weak value amplification. The squeezing effect also investigated by studying the Wigner function of Schrödinger cat states after postselected measurement.
We extensively discuss how Schrodinger cat states (superpositions of well-separated coherent states) in optical systems can be used for quantum information processing.
We analyze condition of orthogonality between optical Schrodinger cat-like-states constructed as superposition of two coherent states. We show that the orthogonality condition leads to quantization of values of a naturally emerging symplectic form, while values of the corresponding metric form are continuous. A complete analytical solution of the problem is presented.
Macroscopic objects appear to have definite positions. In a many-worlds interpretation of quantum theory, this appearance is an illusion; the correct view is the "view from outside" in which even macroscopic objects are in general in a superposition of different positions. In the Bohm model, objects really are in definite positions. This additional aspect of reality is accessible only from the "inside"; thus in the Bohm model the view from inside can be more correct than is the view from outside.
The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a short pedagogical explanation why "quantum collapse" is not a metaphysical event, by pointing out the analogy with a "classical collapse" which is associated with the Monty Hall Paradox.
Pseudopure "cat" state, a superposition of quantum states with all spins up and all spins down, is experimentally demonstrated for a system of twelve dipolar-coupled nuclear spins of fully 13C-labeled benzene molecule oriented in a liquid-crystalline matrix.
From the following thought experiments, it is demonstrated that the collapse of wave function of an isolated system is possible without external observer. It will be shown that the analysis by Feynman path integral method supports this conclusion. The argument is based on two assumptions: 1. The condition of Schrodinger's cat experiment 2. Feynman path integral; This could explain Schrodinger's cat paradox and its implication on the black hole information paradox will be discussed.
The Wehrl information entropy and its phase density, the so-called Wehrl phase distribution, are applied to describe Schrödinger cat and cat-like (kitten) states. The advantages of the Wehrl phase distribution over the Wehrl entropy in a description of the superposition principle are presented. The entropic measures are compared with a conventional phase distribution from the Husimi Q-function. Compact-form formulae for the entropic measures are found for superpositions of well-separated states. Examples of Schrödinger cats (including even, odd and Yurke-Stoler coherent states), as well as the…
Schrodinger's famous cat has long been misunderstood. According to quantum theory and experiments with entangled systems, an entangled state such as the Schrodinger's cat state is neither a superposition of states of either subsystem nor a superposition of compound states of the composite system, but rather a nonlocal superposition of correlations between pairs of states of the two subsystems. The entangled post-measurement state that results from an ideal measurement is not paradoxical, but is merely a coherent superposition of two statistical correlations at "zero phase angle," i.e. at 100% …
The marginal distribution of squeezed, rotated and shifted quadrature for two types of nonclassical states of a trapped ion - squeezed correlated states and squeezed even and odd coherent states (squeezed Schrodinger cat states) - is studied.
Until now, Schrödinger's cat states are generated by subtracting single photons from the whole bandwidth of squeezed vacua. However, it was pointed out recently that the achievable purities are limited in such method (J. Yoshikawa, W. Asavanant, and A. Furusawa, arXiv:1707.08146 [quant-ph] (2017)). In this paper, we used our new photon subtraction method with a narrowband filtering cavity and generated a highly pure Schrödinger's cat state with the value of $-0.184$ at the origin of the Wigner function. To our knowledge, this is the highest value ever reported without any loss corrections. The…
In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the generation of superposition of coherent states with opposite phases, the so-called photonic Schrodinger-cat states. These experiments are very challenging and so far, cats involving small photon numbers only have been implemented. Here, we propose to consider two-mode squeezed states as examples of a Schrodinger-cat-like state. In particular, we are interested in several criteria aiming to identify quantum states that are macroscopic superpositions in a more general sense. We show how these criteria can be extended to continuous vari…
Investigated idea was actuated by the old opinion that a measurement of a quantum observable should be regarded a as a single deterministic sampling. But, according to the last decades studies, such observables are veritable random variables and their measurements must imply significant sets of statistical samplings. So one finds the indubitable caducity of the approached idea. Contiguously the respective finding allows to put into a new light the controversial questions like the Schrodinger's cat thought experiment or description of quantum measurements.
Preparation of Schrödinger-cat-like states via conditional output measurement on a beam splitter is studied. In the scheme, a mode prepared in a squeezed vacuum is mixed with a mode prepared in a Fock state and photocounting is performed in one of the output channels of the beam splitter. In this way the mode in the other output channel is prepared in a Schrödinger-cat-like state that is either a photon-subtracted or a photon-added Jacobi polynomial squeezed vacuum state, depending upon the difference between the number of photons in the input Fock state and the number of photons in the output…
Homodyne measurements are a widely used quantum measurement. Using a coherent state of large amplitude as the local oscillator, it can be shown that the quantum homodyne measurement limits to a field quadrature measurement. In this work, we give an example of a general idea: injecting non-classical states as a local oscillator can led to non-classical measurements. Specifically we consider injecting a superposition of coherent states, a Schrödinger cat state, as a local oscillator. We derive the Kraus operators and the positive operator-valued measure (POVM) in this situation.
Motivated by recent experiments, we consider a Schrödinger cat superposition of two widely separated coherent states in thermal equilibrium. The time development of our system is obtained using Wigner distribution functions. In contrast to our discussion for a two-Gaussian wave packet [Phys. Lett. A 286 (2001) 87], we find that, in the absence of dissipation, the interference term does not decay rapidly in time, but in common with the other two terms, it oscillates in time and persists for all times
We study the effects of continuous measurement of the field mode during the collapse and revival of spin Schrödinger cat states in the Tavis-Cummings model of N qubits (two-level quantum systems) coupled to a field mode. We show that a compromise between relatively weak and relatively strong continuous measurement will not completely destroy the collapse and revival dynamics while still providing enough signal-to-noise resolution to identify the signatures of the process in the measurement record. This type of measurement would in principle allow the verification of the occurrence of the colla…
Quantum superpositions of distinct coherent states in a single-mode harmonic oscillator, known as "cat states", have been an elegant demonstration of Schrodinger's famous cat paradox. Here, we realize a two-mode cat state of electromagnetic fields in two microwave cavities bridged by a superconducting artificial atom, which can also be viewed as an entangled pair of single-cavity cat states. We present full quantum state tomography of this complex cat state over a Hilbert space exceeding 100 dimensions via quantum non-demolition measurements of the joint photon number parity. The ability to ma…
In this paper, we are interested in detecting the presence of a nearby phase-sensitive object, where traveling light works out under a low-photon loss rate. Here we investigate the optimal quantum phase estimation with generalized multi-component Schrodinger cat states. In addition, we show the optimal conditions of the generalized multi-component cat states for the phase estimation in a lossless scenario. We then demonstrate that the generalized multi-component cat states can beat the performances of the NOON and two-mode squeezed vacuum states in the presence of small loss, while maintaining…
Favored schemes for trapped-ion quantum logic gates use bichromatic laser fields to couple internal qubit states with external motion through a "spin-dependent force." We introduce a new degree of freedom in this coupling that reduces its sensitivity to phase decoherence. We demonstrate bichromatic spin-dependent forces on a single trapped $^{111}$Cd$^+$ ion, and show that phase coherence of the resulting "Schrödinger-cat" states of motion depends critically upon the spectral arrangement of the optical fields. This applies directly to the operation of entangling gates on multiple ions.
A measurement-induced continuous-variable logical gate is able to prepare Schrödinger cat states if the gate uses a non-Gaussian resource state, such as cubic phase state [I. V. Sokolov, Phys. Lett. A 384, 126762 (2020)]. Our scheme provides an alternative to hybrid circuits which use photon subtraction and (or) Fock resource states and photon number detectors. We reveal the conditions under which the gate conditionally prepares quantum superposition of two undistorted "copies" of an arbitrary input state that occupies a finite area in phase space. A detailed analysis of the fidelity between t…
Grid (or comb) states are an interesting class of bosonic states introduced by Gottesman, Kitaev and Preskill to encode a qubit into an oscillator. A method to generate or `breed' a grid state from Schrödinger cat states using beam splitters and homodyne measurements is known, but this method requires post-selection. In this paper we show how post-processing of the measurement data can be used to entirely remove the need for post-selection, making the scheme much more viable. We bound the asymptotic behavior of the breeding procedure and demonstrate the efficacy of the method numerically.
In order to know if the Schrodinger's cat is alive or dead without opening the box, observers have to play a game with nature. The observers have to "guess" (with degrees of belief) the state of the cat due to incomplete information; in other words, the observers' decision has to be made under uncertainty. We propose a quantum expected value theory for decision-making under uncertainty. Value operator is proposed to guide observers to choose corresponding actions based on their subjective beliefs through objective quantum world by maximizing the value from the measured historical results. The …
The basic idea here is that observation (or one's experience) is fundamental and the `atomic world' is postulated as the source of such observation. Once this source has been inferred to exist one may attempt to explicitly derive its structure in such a way that the observation itself can be reproduced. And so here is a purely quantum mechanical model of observation coupled to its supposed source, and the observation itself is realised as a projection of this quantum system.
We propose a non-Gaussian continuous variable (CV) gate which is able to conditionally produce superposition of two "copies" of an arbitrary input state well separated in the coordinate and momentum plane - a Schrödinger cate state. The gate uses cubic phase state of an ancillary oscillator as a non-Gaussian resource, an entangling Gaussian gate, and homodyne measurement which provides nonunique information about the target system canonical variables, which is a key feature of the scheme. We show that this nonuniqueness manifests problems which may arise by extension of the Heisenberg picture …
Quantum Schrodinger cat states are of great interest in quantum communications and quantum optics. These states are used in various scientific fields such as quantum computing, quantum error correction and high-precision measurements. The analysis of the Schrodinger cat states coherence is an important task for their complete practical application. Our developed approach makes it possible to estimate the coherence of the quantum Schrodinger cat state of arbitrary dimension, as well as to find the interference visibility of the state - an important optical characteristic. The obtained simple qu…
Although quantum mechanics is a mature theory, fundamental problems discussed during its time of foundation have remained with us to this day. These problems are centered on the problematic relation between the quantum and classical worlds. The most famous element is the measurement problem, i.e., the measurement of a quantum system by a classical apparatus, and the concomitant phenomena of wave packet reduction, the appearance of probability, and the problems related to Schrödinger cat states. A fundamental question in this context is whether quantum mechanics can bootstrap itself to the clas…
Iterative $C_Z$-gate-based protocol for squeezed Schrödinger cat state engineering
ITMO University（ITMO大学）；SMARTS-Quanttelecom LLC（SMARTS-Quanttelecom有限责任公司）；Saint-Petersburg State Institute of Technology（圣彼得堡国立技术学院）；Research and Education Center of Photonics and Optical IT, ITMO University（ITMO大学光子学与光学信息技术研究与教育中心）
We give a mathematical procedure to obtain the adiabatic approximation for the generalized quantum Rabi Hamiltonian both without and with a quadratic interaction. We consider the Hamiltonian as the energy of a model describing the interaction system of a two-level artificial atom and a one-mode microwave photon in circuit QED. In the case without the quadratic interaction, we show in the adiabatic approximation that whether each bare eigenstate forms a Schrodinger-cat-like entangled state or not depends on whether the energy bias of the atom is zero or non-zero, and then, the effect of the tun…
In this paper, we examine the effects of the gravitational field on the dynamical evolution of the cavity-field entropy and the creation of the Schrodinger-cat state in the Jaynes-Cummings model. We consider a moving two-level atom interacting with a single mode quantized cavity-field in the presence of a classical homogeneous gravitational field. Based on an su(2) algebra, as the dynamical symmetry group of the model, we derive the reduced density operator of the cavity-field which includes the effects of the atomic motion and the gravitational field. Also, we obtain the exact solution and th…
We investigate the utility of non classical states of simple harmonic oscillators (a superposition of coherent states) for sensitive force detection. We find that like squeezed states a superposition of coherent states allows the detection of displacement measurements at the Heisenberg limit. Entangling many superpositions of coherent states offers a significant advantage over a single mode superposition states with the same mean photon number.
Circuit quantum electrodynamics ('circuit QED') describes the quantum mechanics and quantum field theory of superconducting electrical circuits operating in the microwave regime near absolute zero temperature. It is the analog of cavity QED in quantum optics with the role of the atoms being played by superconducting qubits. The present lecture notes focus primarily on novel quantum states that can be produced and measured using the strong coupling between an artificial atom and one or more cavities. Of particular importance are Schrodinger cat states of photons. Despite long being considered e…
This communication is an enquiry into the circumstances under which entropy and subentropy methods can give an answer to the question of quantum entanglement in the composite state. Using a general quantum dynamical system we obtain the analytical solution when the atom initially starts from its excited state and the field in different initial states. Different features of the entanglement are investigated when the field is initially assumed to be in a coherent state, an even coherent state (Schrodinger cate state) and a statistical mixture of coherent states. Our results show that the setting…
We summarize efforts at NIST to implement quantum computation using trapped ions, based on a scheme proposed by J.I. Cirac and P. Zoller (Innsbruck University). The use of quantum logic to create entangled states, which can maximize the quantum-limited signal-to-noise ratio in spectroscopy, is discussed.
In the Schrödinger-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, alive or dead, immediately prior to its measurement. Because of this apparent defiance of macroscopic reality, quantum superpositions of states macroscopically distinct have generated much interest. Here we address the issue of proving a contradiction with macroscopic reality objectively, through the testable predictions of quantum mechanics. We consider the pre…
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 be a quantum superposition in which the detector is in two macroscopically distinct states (alive and dead in the case of the cat) simultaneously. Many alternative interpretations of the quantum mathematical formalism, and several alternative modifications of the theory, have been proposed to resolve this problem, but no consensus has formed supporting any on…
In this study, we have proposed a method based on non-equilibrium effects to generate the superposition of macroscopically distinguishable quantum states, known as Schrodinger cat states, by using a Mach-Zehnder interferometry type experiment. Interaction of the input number state with a Kerr medium in the presence of a couple of heat baths in different temperatures in interaction picture and without imposing Markov assumption is considered. We have shown that the study of dynamics of the cat states under non-equilibrium condition open a way for the robustness of quantum features against the d…
We propose to use Bloch oscillation of ultra-cold atoms in a spin-dependent optical lattice to prepare schrodinger cat states. Depending on its internal state, an atom feels different periodic potentials and thus has different energy band structures for its center-of-mass motion. Consequently, under the same gravity force, the wave packets associated with different internal states perform Bloch oscillation of different amplitudes in space and in particular they can be macroscopically displaced with respect to each other. In this way, a cat state can be prepared.
We propose a scheme for generating the Schrödinger cat state based on geometric operations by a nanomechanical resonator coupled to a superconducting charge qubit. The charge qubit, driven by two strong classical fields, interacts with a high-frequency phonon mode of the nanomechanical resonator. During the operation, the charge qubit undergoes no real transitions, while the phonon mode of the nanomechanical resonator is displaced along different paths in the phase space, dependent on the states of the charge qubit, which yields the Schrödinger cat state. The robustness of the scheme is justif…
Recently, using conditioning approaches on the high-harmonic generation process induced by intense laser-atom interactions, we have developed a new method for the generation of optical Schrödinger cat states (M. Lewenstein et al., arXiv:2008.10221 (2020)). These quantum optical states have been proven to be very manageable as, by modifying the conditions under which harmonics are generated, one can interplay between $\textit{kitten}$ and $\textit{genuine cat}$ states. Here, we demonstrate that this method can also be used for the development of new schemes towards the creation of optical Schrö…
We present a quantum algorithm which allows to simulate chaos-assisted tunneling in deep semiclassical regime on existing quantum computers. This opens new possibilities for investigation of macroscopic quantum tunneling and realization of semiclassical Schrödinger cat oscillations. Our numerical studies determine the decoherence rate induced by noisy gates for these oscillations and propose a suitable parameter regime for their experimental implementation.
It has been argued that when black holes are treated as quantum systems there are implications at the horizon and not just the singularity. Infalling observers will meet a firewall of high energy quanta. We argue that the question of whether an observer falling into a black hole experiences a smooth horizon or a firewall is identical to the question of whether Schrodinger's cat is either in a definite state, alive or dead, or in a superposition of the two. Since experience with real macro-systems indicate the former, the black hole state vector is seen to describe a set of decoherent alternati…
We show on the example of the Arnold cat map that classical chaotic systems can be simulated with exponential efficiency on a quantum computer. Although classical computer errors grow exponentially with time, the quantum algorithm with moderate imperfections is able to simulate accurately the unstable chaotic classical dynamics for long times. The algorithm can be easily implemented on systems of a few qubits.
We extend several measurement-based definitions of effective "cat-size" to coherent state superpositions with branches composed of either single coherent states or tensor products of coherent states. These effective cat-size measures depend on determining the maximal quantum distinguishability of certain states associated with the superposition state: e.g., in one measure, the maximal distinguishability of the branches of the superposition is considered as in quantum binary decision theory; in another measure, the maximal distinguishability of the initial superposition and its image after a on…
The possibility of quantum interference of a composite object with many internal degrees of freedom is studied, such that the internal degrees play a role of an internal environment. In particular, if the internal degrees have a capacity for an irreversible record of which-path information, then the internal-environment induced decoherence prevents external experimentalists from observing interference. Interference can be observed only if the interfering object is sufficiently isolated from the external environment, so that the object cannot record which-path information. Extrapolation to a hy…
