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On the Descriptive Applicability of Global Quantum Superposition Architectural Considerations in Composite Systems

Danilo Tavella

Published Feb 10, 2026• 0 citations

Abstract

Recent experimental advances in matter-wave interferometry have demonstrated quantum interference in increasingly large and massive composite objects, including nanoparticles composed of thousands of atoms. These results are often interpreted as evidence that quantum superposition can, in principle, scale arbitrarily with mass and size, with practical limitations arising primarily from environmental decoherence. This technical note argues that mass and size alone are insufficient criteria for assessing the applicability of global quantum superposition descriptions. It introduces a minimal, non-biological architectural distinction between systems that admit an effective global quantum description and systems whose internal organization renders such descriptions operationally ambiguous or illegitimate, even in the absence of significant external decoherence. The analysis does not propose any fundamental limitation on quantum mechanics, nor does it claim that global quantum states cease to exist. Instead, it focuses on the conditions under which global quantum descriptions remain meaningful and useful as effective representations. In architecturally composite systems, internal degrees of freedom may function as endogenous sources of decoherence, limiting the descriptive legitimacy of a single global quantum state. The contribution is diagnostic in nature and aims to clarify common ambiguities in discussions of the quantum–classical transition, the interpretation of large-scale interference experiments, and claims concerning the scalability of quantum superposition. No new physical principles or theoretical modifications are introduced.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18587763

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