Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physica Scripta

??Schr?dinger Cat?? in Cavity QED Experiments: At the Border of Quantum and Classical Worlds

M. Brune, J. M. Raimond, S. Haroche

Published Jan 1, 1998• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A single circular Rydberg atom is used to prepare in a high quality superconducting cavity a "Schrödinger cat" state, quantum superposition of two coherent fields with different classical phases. A second atom probes the cavity state after a tunable delay. The decay of the quantum correlations between the two atoms reveals the evolution of the field state from an initial quantum superposition into a mere statistical mixture. The time scale of this decay decreases when the separation between the two components increases. This is the first experimental observation of the dynamics of decoherence, lying at the heart of the quantum measurement process.

DOI
10.1238/physica.topical.078a00029

Related papers

Mesoscopic entanglement in cavity QED experiments

M. Brune, J. M. Raimond, S. Haroche

A single circular Rydberg atom is used to prepare in a high quality superconducting cavity a “Schrödinger cat” state, quantum superposition of two coherent fields with different classical phases. A second atom probes the cavity state after a tunable delay. The decay of the quantum correlations between the two atoms reveals the evolution of the field state from an initial quantum superposition into a mere statistical mixture. The time scale of this decay decreases when the separation between the two components increases. This is the first experimental observation of the dynamics of decoherence, lying at the heart of the quantum measurement process.

Mysteries, Puzzles, and Paradoxes in Quantum Mechanics•Jan 1, 1999•0 citations

An experimental study of a schrödinger cat decoherence with atoms and cavities

X. Ma[icaron]tre, E. W. Hagley, J. Dreyer +5 more

The dynamics of quantum decoherence have been experimentally studied for the first time. A single circular Rydberg atom prepares in a high-quality superconducting cavity a ‚Schrödinger cat‘ state of the radiation field. This highly non-classical state is a quantum superposition of two coherent components with different classical phases. A second atom probes the cavity state after a tunable delay. The decay of the quantum correlations between the two atoms reveals the evolution of the initial quantum superposition into a mere statistical mixture. The time scale of this process decreases when the separation beween the two components increases. A simple theoretical model of the experiment is presented. The excellent agreement with the experimental signals confirms in a striking way the decoherence approach.

Journal of Modern Optics•Nov 1, 1997•10 citations

Monitoring the Decoherence of Mesoscopic Quantum Superpositions in a Cavity

J. M. Raimond, S. Haroche

Decoherence is an extremely fast and efficient environment-induced process transforming macroscopic quantum superpositions into statistical mixtures. It is an essential step in quantum measurement and a formidable obstacle for a practical use of quantum superpositions (quantum computing for instance). For large objects, decoherence is so fast that its dynamics is unobservable. Mesoscopic fields stored in a high-quality superconducting millimeter-wave cavity, a modern equivalent to Einstein’s ‘photon box’, are ideal tools to reveal the dynamics of the decoherence process. Their interaction with a single circular Rydberg atom prepares them in a quantum superposition of fields, containing a few photons, with different classical phases. The evolution of this ‘Schrödinger cat’ state can be later probed with a ‘quantum mouse’, another atom, assessing its coherence. We describe here the experiments performed along these lines at ENS, and stress the deep links between decoherence and complementarity. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Birkhäuser Basel eBooks•Jan 1, 2006•12 citations

Experiments with single atoms in a cabity: entanglement, Schrödinger's cats and decoherence

S. Haroche, M. Brune, J. M. Raimond

We perform experiments with Rydberg atoms crossing one at a time a superconducting cavity containing a few microwave photons. The coupling between the atoms and the cavity field is either resonant or dispersive. In the resonant case, quantum Rabi oscillations induced by the vacuum or by a small coherent field are observed. These signals reveals in a striking way the quantization of the field. Quantum Rabi oscillations are also used to prepare Fock states of radiation, to transfer information or to produce entanglement between two successive atoms crossing the cavity. Dispersive atom–field coupling is used to prepare and probe coherent superpositions of field states with different phases (Schrödinger's cat states). The progressive decoherence of these states is observed. These experiments constitute fundamental tests of quantum theory and shed light on the transition from quantum to classical in mesoscopic systems.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences•Dec 15, 1997•44 citations

Cover Picture: Fortschritte der Physik 1 / 2013

The cover page shows snapshots of a decaying Schrödinger cat Wigner function. This is a quasi-probability distribution for the amplitude of a microwave field stored in an ultra-high quality superconducting cavity. A single circular Rydberg atom interacting with a coherent state produces a quantum superposition of two fields with different phases. The two positive peaks in the Wigner function (front) are centered on the classical amplitudes of these components. The interference pattern in-between indicates the quantum nature of the superposition. As time proceeds (from front to rear), the interference pattern vanishes, revealing the rapid decoherence of a mesoscopic quantum state superposition.

Fortschritte der Physik•Jan 3, 2013•0 citations

Observing the Progressive Decoherence of the “Meter” in a Quantum Measurement

M. Brune, E. W. Hagley, J. Dreyer +5 more

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 $Q$ microwave cavity. The mesoscopic superposition was the equivalent of an `` $\mathrm{atom}+\mathrm{measuring}\mathrm{apparatus}$'' system in which the ``meter'' was pointing simultaneously towards two different directions---a ``Schr\"odinger 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.

Physical Review Letters•Dec 9, 1996•1,651 citations
A single circular Rydberg atom is used to prepare in a high quality superconducting cavity a "Schrödinger cat" state, quantum superposition of two coherent fields with different classical phases. A second atom probes the cavity state after a tunable delay. The decay of the quantum correlations between the two atoms reveals the evolution of the field state from an initial quantum superposition into a mere statistical mixture. The time scale of this decay decreases when the separation between the two components increases. This is the first experimental observation of the dynamics of decoherence, lying at the heart of the quantum measurement process.
A single circular Rydberg atom is used to prepare in a high quality superconducting cavity a “Schrödinger cat” state, quantum superposition of two coherent fields with different classical phases. A second atom probes the cavity state after a tunable delay. The decay of the quantum correlations between the two atoms reveals the evolution of the field state from an initial quantum superposition into a mere statistical mixture. The time scale of this decay decreases when the separation between the two components increases. This is the first experimental observation of the dynamics of decoherence, lying at the heart of the quantum measurement process.
The dynamics of quantum decoherence have been experimentally studied for the first time. A single circular Rydberg atom prepares in a high-quality superconducting cavity a ‚Schrödinger cat‘ state of the radiation field. This highly non-classical state is a quantum superposition of two coherent components with different classical phases. A second atom probes the cavity state after a tunable delay. The decay of the quantum correlations between the two atoms reveals the evolution of the initial quantum superposition into a mere statistical mixture. The time scale of this process decreases when the separation beween the two components increases. A simple theoretical model of the experiment is presented. The excellent agreement with the experimental signals confirms in a striking way the decoherence approach.
Decoherence is an extremely fast and efficient environment-induced process transforming macroscopic quantum superpositions into statistical mixtures. It is an essential step in quantum measurement and a formidable obstacle for a practical use of quantum superpositions (quantum computing for instance). For large objects, decoherence is so fast that its dynamics is unobservable. Mesoscopic fields stored in a high-quality superconducting millimeter-wave cavity, a modern equivalent to Einstein’s ‘photon box’, are ideal tools to reveal the dynamics of the decoherence process. Their interaction with a single circular Rydberg atom prepares them in a quantum superposition of fields, containing a few photons, with different classical phases. The evolution of this ‘Schrödinger cat’ state can be later probed with a ‘quantum mouse’, another atom, assessing its coherence. We describe here the experiments performed along these lines at ENS, and stress the deep links between decoherence and complementarity. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
We perform experiments with Rydberg atoms crossing one at a time a superconducting cavity containing a few microwave photons. The coupling between the atoms and the cavity field is either resonant or dispersive. In the resonant case, quantum Rabi oscillations induced by the vacuum or by a small coherent field are observed. These signals reveals in a striking way the quantization of the field. Quantum Rabi oscillations are also used to prepare Fock states of radiation, to transfer information or to produce entanglement between two successive atoms crossing the cavity. Dispersive atom–field coupling is used to prepare and probe coherent superpositions of field states with different phases (Schrödinger's cat states). The progressive decoherence of these states is observed. These experiments constitute fundamental tests of quantum theory and shed light on the transition from quantum to classical in mesoscopic systems.
The cover page shows snapshots of a decaying Schrödinger cat Wigner function. This is a quasi-probability distribution for the amplitude of a microwave field stored in an ultra-high quality superconducting cavity. A single circular Rydberg atom interacting with a coherent state produces a quantum superposition of two fields with different phases. The two positive peaks in the Wigner function (front) are centered on the classical amplitudes of these components. The interference pattern in-between indicates the quantum nature of the superposition. As time proceeds (from front to rear), the interference pattern vanishes, revealing the rapid decoherence of a mesoscopic quantum state superposition.
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 QQQ microwave cavity. The mesoscopic superposition was the equivalent of an `` atom+measuringapparatus\mathrm{atom}+\mathrm{measuring}\mathrm{apparatus}atom+measuringapparatus'' system in which the ``meter'' was pointing simultaneously towards two different directions---a ``Schr\"odinger 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.