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ESI lectures in mathematics and physics

Schrödinger’s cat and her laboratory cousins

Anthony J. Leggett

Published Apr 11, 2013• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

In a famous 1935 paper, Erwin Schroedinger pointed out the apparently bizarre consequences which flow from the assumption that the formalism of quantum mechanics can be extrapolated from the world of electrons and atoms to the level of our own direct consciousness (the “Cat” paradox). In this paper I first discuss some alleged resolutions of the paradox, then point out that the premise is not self-evident, and define a class of alternative (“macrorealistic”) scenarios. I then review the extent to which the experimental predictions of quantum mechanics are currently tested in the direction of the everyday world, and explain a crucial test, yet to be performed, of these predictions vis-a-vis those of macrorealism.

DOI
10.4171/121-1/4

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In a famous 1935 paper, Erwin Schroedinger pointed out the apparently bizarre consequences which flow from the assumption that the formalism of quantum mechanics can be extrapolated from the world of electrons and atoms to the level of our own direct consciousness (the “Cat” paradox). In this paper I first discuss some alleged resolutions of the paradox, then point out that the premise is not self-evident, and define a class of alternative (“macrorealistic”) scenarios. I then review the extent to which the experimental predictions of quantum mechanics are currently tested in the direction of the everyday world, and explain a crucial test, yet to be performed, of these predictions vis-a-vis those of macrorealism.
In this paper I first briefly review the apparently bizarre consequences of attempting to apply quantum mechanics consistently to macroscopic bodies in certain kinds of situations (the ‘Schrödinger's Cat’ paradox). The paradox results from the assumption that the linear superpositions of macroscopically distinct states, which are unambiguously predicted by the formalism, do indeed exist in nature. Until recently, this assumption was experimentally untested. However, recent advances in techniques of microfabrication, cryogenics and noise control have opened up the possibility of indirect and possibly even direct tests, in particular in superconducting systems incorporating Josephson devices. I describe some of these tests, review the current experimental and theoretical situation and discuss the implications of various possible outcomes to the experiments.
Erwin Schrodinger first described the thought-experiment which has since become known as 'the paradox of Schrodinger's cat' 51 years ago. In recent years, popular accounts of quantum mechanics have tended to adopt one or other of the philosophically most extreme solutions to this paradox, i.e. the consciousness hypothesis or the many worlds interpretation. The author attempts to redress the balance by describing what he takes to be the orthodox solution to the paradox which explains the paradox, without recourse to such counterintuitive notions as a cat simultaneously dead and alive or a universe continually splitting into multiple worlds, as being due to a misapplication of the quantum formalism.
As we are accustomed to everyday life, we may find quantum phenomena to be strange. If quantum phenomena were to happen often in our macroscopic world, we would react as if we had seen a ghost. A person to whom we were talking could move to another seat out of our sight in a moment, or his/her face could change. We might question if we are who we are. Fortunately experiencing quantum phenomena in everyday life is extremely hard. However, interestingly, quantum physics predicts that quantum phenomena can occur in the macroscopic world, regardless of our everyday experience. If that prediction is correct, why is experiencing quantum phenomena hard? Such a seemingly contradictory discussion was clearly raised by Schrodinger in his thought experiment, the so-called ‘Schrodinger cat paradox.’ Haroche’s group and Wineland’s group have independently performed experiments on the paradox. In this article, I discuss the historical background and the physical implications of the Schrodinger cat paradox.
In 1935 Erwin Schrödinger proposed a thought experiment to show the absurd consequences of applying quantum mechanics to everyday objects. Schrödinger imagined placing a cat in a box, along with a vial of deadly poison that is connected to a radioactive atom. If the atom decays, it releases the poison and kills the cat. When the box is closed we do not know if the atom has decayed or not, which means that it can be in a "superposition" of two states (decayed and non-decayed) at the same time. Therefore, protested Schrödinger, the cat can be both dead and alive at the same time – which is clearly absurd. There was obviously, he thought, some boundary between the microscopic world of atoms and quantum mechanics, and the macroscopic world of cats and classical mechanics.
Despite the spectacular success of quantum mechanics (QM) over the last 80 years in explaining phenomena observed at the atomic and subatomic level, the conceptual status of the theory is still a topic of lively controversy. Most of the discussion centers around two famous paradoxes (or, as some would have it, pseudoparadoxes) associated, respectively, with the names of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen (EPR) and with Schrodinger's cat. In this Viewpoint, I will concentrate on the paradox of Schrodinger's cat or, as it is often known (to my mind somewhat misleadingly), the quantum measurement paradox.