最大纳米颗粒量子叠加态创建

Core Insights - A research team from the University of Vienna has achieved a significant breakthrough by placing metal nanoclusters, nearly the size of viruses, into a spatially distinct quantum superposition state, marking the largest superposition state ever created [1] Group 1: Quantum Research Findings - The study provides new evidence for exploring the boundary between the quantum and classical worlds, with implications for quantum computing and precision measurement technologies [1] - The researchers created a metal cluster composed of over 7,000 sodium atoms, approximately 8 nanometers in diameter, which is comparable in size to some viral particles [1] - The experiment involved precision interference experiments that allowed these clusters to exist simultaneously in different spatial locations, approximately 133 nanometers apart, forming a quantum superposition state similar to Schrödinger's cat [1] Group 2: Experimental Methodology - The experiment utilized an interferometer device composed of three sets of laser gratings, operating under ultra-high vacuum and low-temperature conditions [2] - Sodium nanoparticles exhibited significant wave-like behavior after passing through slits, with different paths corresponding to "matter waves" that interfered to form a clear interference pattern [2] - The results indicated that each nanoparticle did not follow a single path but rather existed as a "probability cloud" in space, with the separation distance of the superposition state being about 16 times the size of the particles themselves [2] Group 3: Macro-Scale Quantum Effects - The experiment achieved a "macroscopicity" measure of 15.5, which is an order of magnitude higher than previous records, indicating the extent of quantum effects at a macroscopic scale [2] - Future plans include expanding the experimental subjects to larger biological systems, such as viruses, and using interference patterns as high-sensitivity probes to explore weak and difficult-to-measure physical forces [2]