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] - The concept of quantum superposition allows particles to exist in multiple states simultaneously, which is illustrated by the famous Schrödinger's cat thought experiment proposed in 1935 [1] Group 1 - The experiment was conducted in a super high vacuum environment at 77 Kelvin (approximately -196 degrees Celsius), confirming the quantum wave properties of sodium atom clusters [2] - The diameter of the sodium atom clusters was about 8 nanometers, with a distance of 133 nanometers between two simultaneously existing positions, exceeding the cluster diameter by more than ten times [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 2 - This new finding aids in exploring the boundary between microscopic and macroscopic scales of matter, enhancing the understanding of decoherence processes in quantum systems, which is crucial for the development of quantum computers [2] - Quantum computers require numerous qubits to maintain coherence in superposition states for effective computation [2]