科普｜薛定谔猫又“变胖”了

Core Insights - Researchers from Austria and Germany have created the largest quantum superposition state to date using approximately 7,000 sodium atoms, representing the highest "macroscopic degree" of Schrödinger's cat [1][2] Group 1: Quantum Mechanics and Schrödinger's Cat - The concept of quantum superposition allows microscopic matter to exist in different quantum states simultaneously, exemplified by Schrödinger's cat thought experiment [1] - The "macroscopic degree" is a measure of how close the Schrödinger's cat state is to a macroscopic state, calculated based on the size and mass of the "cat" object, the distance between different quantum states, and the duration of the superposition state [1] Group 2: Experimental Details - The sodium atom clusters were generated in a super high vacuum environment at 77 Kelvin (approximately -196 degrees Celsius), with a diameter of about 8 nanometers and a distance of 133 nanometers between two simultaneously existing positions [2] - Previous experiments achieved a Schrödinger's cat state with a 16 microgram crystal, which had a larger mass but a lower macroscopic degree due to the smaller distance between different positions [2] Group 3: Implications for Quantum Computing - This new finding aids in understanding the boundary between microscopic and macroscopic scales, as well as the process of decoherence in quantum systems, which is crucial for the development of quantum computers [2]