Abstract
A mesoscopic superposition of quantum states involving radiation fields with classically distinct phases was created and its progressive decoherence observed. The experiment involved Rydberg atoms interacting one at a time with a few photon coherent field trapped in a high microwave cavity. The mesoscopic superposition was the equivalent of an “ ” system in which the “meter” was pointing simultaneously towards two different directions—a “Schrödinger cat.” The decoherence phenomenon transforming this superposition into a statistical mixture was observed while it unfolded, providing a direct insight into a process at the heart of quantum measurement.
- Received 10 September 1996
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.4887
©1996 American Physical Society
Focus
Nobel Prize—Tools for Quantum Tinkering
Published 12 October 2012
David Wineland and Serge Haroche, who studied photons and atoms in new ways, have won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics.
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