Experiment cat in a box. What is Schrödinger's cat in simple words

If you are interested in an article on a topic from quantum physics, then there is a high probability that you love the series “Theory big bang" So, Sheldon Cooper came up with a fresh interpretation Schrödinger's thought experiment(You will find a video with this fragment at the end of the article). But to understand Sheldon's dialogue with his neighbor Penny, let's first turn to the classical interpretation. So, Schrödinger's Cat in simple words.

In this article we will look at:

• Brief historical background
• Description of the experiment with Schrödinger's Cat
• The solution to the Schrödinger's Cat paradox

Immediately good news. During the experiment Schrödinger's cat was not harmed. Because physicist Erwin Schrödinger, one of the creators of quantum mechanics, only conducted a thought experiment.

Before diving into the description of the experiment, let's make a mini excursion into history.

At the beginning of the last century, scientists managed to look into the microworld. Despite the external similarity of the “atom-electron” model with the “Sun-Earth” model, it turned out that the familiar Newtonian laws of classical physics do not work in the microcosm. Therefore, a new science appeared - quantum physics and its component - quantum mechanics. All microscopic objects of the microworld were called quanta.

Attention! One of the postulates of quantum mechanics is “superposition”. It will be useful to us to understand the essence of Schrödinger's experiment.

“Superposition” is the ability of a quantum (it can be an electron, a photon, the nucleus of an atom) to be not in one, but in several states at the same time or to be in several points of space at the same time, if no one is watching him

This is difficult for us to understand, because in our world an object can only have one state, for example, being either alive or dead. And it can only be in one specific place in space. You can read about “superposition” and the stunning results of quantum physics experiments In this article.

Here is a simple illustration of the difference between the behavior of micro and macro objects. Place a ball in one of the 2 boxes. Because the ball is an object of our macro world, you will say with confidence: “The ball lies in only one of the boxes, while the second one is empty.” If instead of a ball you take an electron, then the statement that it is simultaneously in 2 boxes will be true. This is how the laws of the microworld work. Example: The electron in reality does not rotate around the nucleus of the atom, but is located at all points of the sphere around the nucleus simultaneously. In physics and chemistry, this phenomenon is called the “electron cloud”.

Summary. We realized that the behavior of a very small object and a large object are subject to different laws. The laws of quantum physics and the laws of classical physics, respectively.

But there is no science that would describe the transition from the macroworld to the microworld. So, Erwin Schrödinger described his thought experiment precisely in order to demonstrate the incompleteness of the general theory of physics. He wanted Schrödinger's paradox to show that there is a science to describe large objects (classical physics) and a science to describe micro objects (quantum physics). But.

there is not enough science to describe the transition from quantum systems to macrosystems

Description of the experiment with Schrödinger's Cat Erwin Schrödinger described a thought experiment with a cat in 1935. The original version of the experiment description is presented on Wikipedia ().

Schrödinger's cat Wikipedia

• Here is a version of the description of the Schrödinger's Cat experiment in simple words:
• A cat was placed in a closed steel box.
• The Schrödinger Box contains a device with a radioactive nucleus and poisonous gas placed in a container.
• The nucleus may decay within 1 hour or not. Probability of decay – 50%.
• If the nucleus decays, the Geiger counter will record this. The relay will operate and the hammer will break the gas container. Schrödinger's cat will die.

If not, then Schrödinger’s cat will be alive.

According to the law of “superposition” of quantum mechanics, at a time when we are not observing the system, the nucleus of an atom (and therefore the cat) is in 2 states simultaneously.

• The nucleus is in a decayed/undecayed state. And the cat is in a state of being alive/dead at the same time.
• But we know for sure that if the “Schrödinger box” is opened, then the cat can only be in one of the states:

if the nucleus does not decay, our cat is alive if the nucleus decays, the cat is dead The paradox of the experiment is that according to quantum physics: before opening the box, the cat is both alive and dead at the same time, but according to the laws of physics of our world, this is impossible. Cat

can be in one specific state - being alive or being dead

. There is no mixed state “the cat is alive/dead” at the same time.

Now the solution. Pay attention to the special mystery of quantum mechanics - observer paradox. An object of the microworld (in our case, the core) is in several states simultaneously only while we are not observing the system.

For example, the famous experiment with 2 slits and an observer. When a beam of electrons was directed onto an opaque plate with 2 vertical slits, the electrons painted a “wave pattern” on the screen behind the plate—vertical alternating dark and light stripes. But when the experimenters wanted to “see” how electrons fly through the slits and installed an “observer” on the side of the screen, the electrons drew not a “wave pattern” on the screen, but 2 vertical stripes. Those. behaved not like waves, but like particles.

It seems that quantum particles themselves decide what state they should take at the moment they are “measured.”

Based on this, the modern Copenhagen explanation (interpretation) of the “Schrödinger’s Cat” phenomenon sounds like this:

While no one is observing the “cat-core” system, the nucleus is in a decayed/undecayed state at the same time. But it is a mistake to say that the cat is alive/dead at the same time. Why? Yes, because quantum phenomena are not observed in macrosystems. It would be more correct to talk not about the “cat-core” system, but about the “core-detector (Geiger counter)” system.

The nucleus selects one of the states (decayed/undecayed) at the moment of observation (or measurement). But this choice does not occur at the moment when the experimenter opens the box (the opening of the box occurs in the macroworld, very far from the world of the nucleus). The nucleus selects its state at the moment it hits the detector. The fact is that the system is not described enough in the experiment.

Thus, the Copenhagen interpretation of the Schrödinger's Cat paradox denies that until the moment the box was opened, Schrödinger's Cat was in a state of superposition - it was in the state of a living/dead cat at the same time. A cat in the macrocosm can and does exist in only one state.

Summary. Schrödinger did not fully describe the experiment. It is not correct (more precisely, it is impossible to connect) macroscopic and quantum systems. Quantum laws do not apply in our macrosystems. IN this experiment It is not “cat-core” that interacts, but “cat-detector-core”. The cat is from the macrocosm, and the “detector-core” system is from the microcosm. And only in its quantum world can a nucleus be in two states at the same time. This occurs before the nucleus is measured or interacts with the detector. But a cat in its macrocosm can and does exist in only one state. That's why, It’s only at first glance that it seems that the cat’s “alive or dead” state is determined at the moment the box is opened. In fact, its fate is determined at the moment the detector interacts with the nucleus.

Final summary. The state of the “detector-nucleus-cat” system is NOT associated with the person – the observer of the box, but with the detector – the observer of the nucleus.

Phew. My brain almost started boiling! But how nice it is to understand the solution to the paradox yourself! As in the old student joke about the teacher: “While I was telling it, I understood it!”

Sheldon's interpretation of Schrödinger's Cat paradox

Now you can sit back and listen to Sheldon's latest interpretation of Schrödinger's thought experiment. The essence of his interpretation is that it can be applied in relationships between people. To understand a good relationship between a man and a woman or bad - you need to open the box (go on a date). And before that they were both good and bad at the same time.

Well, how do you like this “cute experiment”? Nowadays, Schrödinger would get a lot of punishment from animal rights activists for such brutal thought experiments with a cat. Or maybe it wasn’t a cat, but Schrödinger’s Cat?! Poor girl, she suffered enough from this Schrödinger (((

See you in the next publications!

I wish everyone have a good day and have a nice evening!

P.S. Share your thoughts in the comments. And ask questions.

P.S. Subscribe to the blog - the subscription form is located under the article.

The article describes what Schrödinger's theory is. The contribution of this great scientist to modern science, and also describes a thought experiment he invented about a cat. The scope of application of this kind of knowledge is briefly outlined.

Erwin Schrödinger

The notorious cat, who is neither alive nor dead, is now being used everywhere. Films are made about him, communities about physics and animals are named after him, there is even a clothing brand. But most often people mean the paradox with the unfortunate cat. But people usually forget about its creator, Erwin Schrödinger. He was born in Vienna, which was then part of Austria-Hungary. He was the scion of a very educated and wealthy family. His father, Rudolf, produced linoleum and invested money, among other things, in science. His mother was the daughter of a chemist, and Erwin often went to listen to his grandfather’s lectures at the academy.

Since one of the scientist’s grandmothers was English, he was interested in foreign languages and mastered English perfectly. It is not surprising that at school Schrödinger was at the top of his class every year, and at the university he asked difficult questions. Early twentieth-century science had already identified inconsistencies between the more understandable classical physics and the behavior of particles in the micro- and nanoworld. I threw all my strength into resolving the emerging contradictions

Contribution to science

To begin with, it is worth saying that this physicist was involved in many areas of science. However, when we say “Schrödinger’s theory,” we do not mean the mathematically harmonious description of color he created, but his contribution to quantum mechanics. In those days, technology, experiment and theory went hand in hand. Photography developed, the first spectra were recorded, and the phenomenon of radioactivity was discovered. The scientists who obtained the results interacted closely with the theorists: they agreed, complemented each other, and argued. New schools and branches of science were created. The world began to sparkle with completely different colors, and humanity received new mysteries. Despite the complexity of the mathematical apparatus, to describe what Schrödinger’s theory is, in simple language Can.

The quantum world is easy!

It is now well known that the scale of the objects being studied directly affects the results. Visible to the eye objects are subject to the concepts of classical physics. Schrödinger's theory is applicable to bodies measuring one hundred by one hundred nanometers and smaller. And most often we are talking about individual atoms and smaller particles. So, each element of microsystems simultaneously has the properties of both a particle and a wave (wave-particle duality). From the material world, electrons, protons, neutrons, etc. are characterized by mass and associated inertia, speed, and acceleration. From the theoretical wave - parameters such as frequency and resonance. In order to understand how this is possible at the same time, and why they are inseparable from each other, scientists needed to reconsider their entire understanding of the structure of substances.

Schrödinger's theory implies that, mathematically, these two properties are related through a construct called the wave function. Finding a mathematical description of this concept brought Schrödinger the Nobel Prize. However, the physical meaning that the author attributed to it did not coincide with the ideas of Bohr, Sommerfeld, Heisenberg and Einstein, who founded the so-called Copenhagen interpretation. This is where the “cat paradox” arose.

Wave function

When we talk about the microcosm of elementary particles, the concepts inherent in macroscales lose their meaning: mass, volume, speed, size. And shaky probabilities come into their own. Objects of this size are impossible for humans to record - only indirect methods of study are available to people. For example, stripes of light on a sensitive screen or film, the number of clicks, the thickness of the film being sprayed. Everything else is the area of ​​calculations.

Schrödinger's theory is based on the equations that this scientist derived. And their integral component is It unambiguously describes the type and quantum properties of the particle under study. It is believed that the wave function shows the state of, for example, an electron. However, she herself, contrary to the ideas of her author, physical meaning does not have. It's just a convenient mathematical tool. Since our article presents Schrödinger's theory in simple terms, let's say that the square of the wave function describes the probability of finding a system in a predetermined state.

Cat as an example of a macro object

The author himself did not agree with this interpretation, which is called the Copenhagen interpretation, until the end of his life. He was disgusted by the vagueness of the concept of probability, and he insisted on the clarity of the function itself, and not its square.

As an example of the inconsistency of such ideas, he argued that in this case the microworld would influence macro objects. The theory goes as follows: if you place a living organism (for example, a cat) and a capsule with a poisonous gas in a sealed box, which opens if a certain radioactive element decays, and remains closed if decay does not occur, then before opening the box we get a paradox. According to quantum concepts, an atom of a radioactive element will decay with some probability over a certain period of time. Thus, before experimental detection, the atom is both intact and not. And, as Schrödinger’s theory says, for the same percentage of probability the cat is both dead and otherwise alive. Which, you see, is absurd, because when we open the box, we will find only one state of the animal. And in a closed container, next to the deadly capsule, the cat is either dead or alive, since these indicators are discrete and do not imply intermediate options.

There is a specific, but not yet fully proven, explanation for this phenomenon: in the absence of time-limiting conditions to determine the specific state of a hypothetical cat, this experiment is undoubtedly paradoxical. However, quantum mechanical rules cannot be used for macro-objects. It has not yet been possible to accurately draw the boundary between the microworld and the ordinary one. However, an animal the size of a cat is undoubtedly a macro object.

Application of quantum mechanics

As with any, even theoretical, phenomenon, the question arises of how Schrödinger’s cat can be useful. The Big Bang theory, for example, is based precisely on the processes that relate to this thought experiment. Everything that relates to ultra-high speeds, the ultra-small structure of matter, and the study of the universe as such is explained, among other things, by quantum mechanics.

What is Schrödinger's cat, Schrödinger cat, everything about Schrödinger's cat, Schrödinger's cat paradox, Schrödinger's cat experiment, cat in a box, neither alive nor dead cat, is Schrödinger's cat alive, cat experiment

This is a cat that is both alive and dead at the same time. He owes this unfortunate state to the Nobel laureate in physics, the Austrian scientist Erwin Rudolf Joseph Alexander Schrödinger.

Sections:

The essence of the experiment / paradox

The cat is in a closed box with a mechanism containing a radioactive core and a container of poisonous gas. The characteristics of the experiment are selected so that the probability that the nucleus will decay in 1 hour is 50%. If the nucleus disintegrates, it activates the mechanism, the gas container opens, and the cat dies. According to quantum mechanics, if no observation is made of the nucleus, then its state is described by a superposition (mixing) of two states - a decayed nucleus and an undecayed nucleus, therefore, a cat sitting in a box is both alive and dead at once.

As soon as you open the box, the experimenter should see only one state - “the nucleus has decayed, the cat is dead” or “the nucleus has not decayed, the cat is alive.” But while there is no observer in the process, the ill-fated animal remains “dead.”

Marginalized

• Misfortune never comes alone
  Not only the health of the tailed inhabitant of the box is in doubt, but also its gender: in the original experiment, Schrödinger’s cat was still a cat (die Katze).
• There are no “dead” cats
  It is important to remember that Schrödinger's experiment was not intended to prove the existence of "dead" cats (and, contrary to the statement in the second part of the game "Portal", was not invented as an excuse for killing cats). Obviously, the cat must be either alive or dead, since there is no intermediate state.
  Experience shows that quantum mechanics is not able to describe the behavior of macrosystems (which includes the cat): it is incomplete without some rules that indicate when the system chooses one particular state, under what conditions the wave function collapses and the cat either remains alive or becomes dead , but ceases to be a mixture of both.

Interpretations Copenhagen interpretation denies that before opening the box the cat is in a state of confusion between living and dead. Some believe that as long as the box is closed, the system is in a superposition of the states “decayed nucleus, dead cat” and “undecayed nucleus, living cat,” and when the box is opened, only then does the wave function collapse to one of the options. Others say that an “observation” occurs when a particle from the nucleus hits the detector; however, alas, in the Copenhagen interpretation there is no clear rule that says when this happens, and therefore this interpretation is incomplete until such a rule is introduced into it or it is not said how it can be introduced in principle. Everett's many-worlds interpretation , unlike the Copenhagen one, does not consider the observation process to be something special. Here both states of the cat exist, but decohere - that is, as the author understands, the unity of these states is disrupted as a result of interaction with the environment. When the observer opens the box, he becomes entangled (mixed) with the cat, which creates two observer states, one corresponding to a living cat and the other to a dead one. These states do not interact with each other.
The author believes that the final word should be left to the cat, who, even if he doesn’t know a thing about quantum mechanics, is certainly better informed than anyone else about his condition. However, his competence as an observer obviously raises doubts among scientists. An exception is Hans Moravec, Bruno Marshall and Max Tegmark, who proposed a modification of the Schrödinger experiment, known as “quantum suicide,” and which is an experiment with a cat from the cat’s point of view. Scientists pursued the goal of showing the difference between the Copenhagen and many-worlds interpretations of quantum mechanics. If the many-worlds interpretation is correct, the cat, to the joy of his sympathizers, becomes Tsoi and always remains alive, since the participant is able to observe the result of the experiment only in the world in which he survives.

• Nadav Katz from the University of California and his colleagues published the results of a laboratory experiment in which they were able to “return” the quantum state of a particle back, and after measuring this state. Thus, it is possible to save the cat’s life regardless of the conditions for the collapse of the wave function. It doesn’t matter whether he’s alive or dead: you can always win it back [link] .
• 06/03/2011 RIA Novosti reported that Chinese physicists were able to create eight-photon "Schrodinger's cat"[link] , which should facilitate the development of future quantum computers

Image in culture

Perhaps no one has done more to popularize quantum mechanics than the poor cat. Even people who are farthest from this complex field of knowledge, worried about the fate of the probably suffering animal, are trying to understand the intricacies of the experiment, hoping that not everything is so bad. The cat inspires artists and popular culture.
Let us mention his main achievements:

Literature: The situation with Schrödinger's cat is discussed by the main characters of Douglas Adams's book "Dirk Gently's Detective Agency". In Dan Simmons' book "Endymion" Raoul Endymion writes his narrative while in orbit around Armagast in Schrödinger's "cat box". In the last third of Robert Heinlein's book The Cat Walks Through Walls, the ginger cat Pixel appears, who has the ability of Schrödinger's cat to be in two states at the same time. In the Coen brothers' film A Serious Man, a student declares to a professor, “I understand the dead cat experiment,” which, of course, indicates the opposite. In the film “Repo Man” (“Collectors”, in Russian release “Rippers”) the main character at the beginning of the film talks about an unknown scientist who has a cat. And this cat is in a state of “...both alive and dead at the same time...”. In one of the episodes of the science fiction series Stargate SG-1, a cat named Schrödinger appears. The main character of the science fiction series “Slithers” also has a cat of the same name. There is a quest game “Return of the Quantum Cat”. In the game "Nethack" there is a monster "Quantum Mechanic", who sometimes has a box with a cat with him. The condition of the cat is not determined until the box is opened. In the game "Half-Life 2" there was a cat in a laboratory with teleporters, which Barney "still" has nightmares about. The portrait of Schrödinger's cat is also found in the 1998 remake based on Half-Life. - "Black Mesa" (formerly known as "Black Mesa: Source"). Link to notarized screenshot. In every level of Bioshock, there is a dead cat in a secluded corner, identified as Shrodinger. In the second part you can also find him - the cat rests in one of the ice floes in a frozen room with four surveillance cameras in the corners. The NPC cat of the same name appears in the Japanese RPG Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga. The main slogan of the game Portal, “The cake is a lie,” is an errative of one of the outcomes of Schrödinger’s experiment, namely “The cat is alive.” In the second part of the game, the cat is also not forgotten. Mention of the experiment can be found in the Russian rule book board game
"Age of Aquarius". The cat even has his own characteristics plate - it is completely empty, so it’s as if it doesn’t exist.
Music:
The so-called festival of non-standard music “Schrodinger’s Cat”, held under the slogans “ Real life- real death - real music! and “Is Schrödinger's Cat Alive or Dead? And you?" Google also reports that the name “KoT Schrödinger” is a near-musical project of a very small group from Korolev near Moscow. The British band Tears for Fears' album Saturnine Martial and Lunatic contains a song of the same name. For example, Yasser Arafat was in this state when he was in a coma before his death, as well as Osama Bin Laden.

According to Absurdopedia, a pig in a poke is a simplified version of Schrödinger's cat experiment [link].

« Stephen Hawking paraphrased Hans Jost's catchphrase, “When I hear about culture, I reach for a gun,” as follows: “When I hear about Schrödinger's cat, my hand reaches for a gun!” This is explained by the fact that, like many other physicists, Hawking is of the opinion that the “Copenhagen School” interpretation of quantum mechanics emphasizes the role of the observer without justification. In connection with the opening of the Department of Theology at MEPhI, the following picture has spread online: June 24th, 2015

To my shame, I want to admit that I heard this expression, but did not know what it meant or even on what topic it was used. Let me tell you what I read on the Internet about this cat...

Shroedinger `s cat

“- this is the name of the famous thought experiment of the famous Austrian theoretical physicist Erwin Schrödinger, who is also a Nobel Prize laureate. With the help of this fictitious experiment, the scientist wanted to show the incompleteness of quantum mechanics in the transition from subatomic systems to macroscopic systems. The original article by Erwin Schrödinger was published in 1935. Here's the quote:, is converted into macroscopic uncertainty, which can be eliminated by direct observation. This prevents us from naively accepting the “blur model” as reflecting reality. This in itself does not mean anything unclear or contradictory. There's a difference between a blurry or out-of-focus photo and a photo of clouds or fog.

In other words:

1. There is a box and a cat. The box contains a mechanism containing a radioactive atomic nucleus and a container of poisonous gas. The experimental parameters were selected so that the probability of nuclear decay in 1 hour is 50%. If the nucleus disintegrates, a container of gas opens and the cat dies. If the nucleus does not decay, the cat remains alive and well.
2. We close the cat in a box, wait an hour and ask the question: is the cat alive or dead?
3. Quantum mechanics seems to tell us that the atomic nucleus (and therefore the cat) is in all possible states simultaneously (see quantum superposition). Before we open the box, the cat-core system is in the state “the nucleus has decayed, the cat is dead” with a probability of 50% and in the state “the nucleus has not decayed, the cat is alive” with a probability of 50%. It turns out that the cat sitting in the box is both alive and dead at the same time.
4. According to the modern Copenhagen interpretation, the cat is alive/dead without any intermediate states. And the choice of the decay state of the nucleus occurs not at the moment of opening the box, but even when the nucleus enters the detector. Because the reduction of the wave function of the “cat-detector-nucleus” system is not associated with the human observer of the box, but is associated with the detector-observer of the nucleus.

According to quantum mechanics, if the nucleus of an atom is not observed, then its state is described by a mixture of two states - a decayed nucleus and an undecayed nucleus, therefore, a cat sitting in a box and personifying the nucleus of an atom is both alive and dead at the same time. If the box is opened, then the experimenter can see only one specific state - “the nucleus has decayed, the cat is dead” or “the nucleus has not decayed, the cat is alive.”

The essence in human language: Schrödinger's experiment showed that, from the point of view of quantum mechanics, the cat is both alive and dead, which cannot be. Therefore, quantum mechanics has significant flaws.

The question is: when does a system cease to exist as a mixture of two states and choose one specific one? The purpose of the experiment is to show that quantum mechanics is incomplete without some rules that indicate under what conditions the wave function collapses, and the cat either becomes dead or remains alive, but ceases to be a mixture of both. Since it is clear that a cat must be either alive or dead (there is no state intermediate between life and death), this will be similar for the atomic nucleus. It must be either decayed or undecayed (Wikipedia).

Another more recent interpretation of Schrödinger's thought experiment is a story that Sheldon Cooper, the hero of the Big Bang Theory, told his less educated neighbor Penny. The point of Sheldon's story is that the concept of Schrödinger's cat can be applied to human relationships. In order to understand what is happening between a man and a woman, what kind of relationship is between them: good or bad, you just need to open the box. Until then, the relationship is both good and bad.

Below is a video clip of this Big Bang Theory exchange between Sheldon and Penia.

Schrödinger's illustration is best example to describe the main paradox of quantum physics: according to its laws, particles such as electrons, photons and even atoms exist in two states simultaneously (“alive” and “dead”, if you remember the long-suffering cat). These states are called superpositions.

American physicist Art Hobson from the University of Arkansas (Arkansas State University) proposed his solution to this paradox.

“Measurements in quantum physics are based on the operation of certain macroscopic devices, such as a Geiger counter, with the help of which the quantum state of microscopic systems - atoms, photons and electrons is determined. Quantum theory implies that if you connect a microscopic system (particle) to some macroscopic device that distinguishes two different states of the system, then the device (Geiger counter, for example) will go into a state of quantum entanglement and also find itself in two superpositions at the same time. However, it is impossible to observe this phenomenon directly, which makes it unacceptable,” says the physicist.

Hobson says that in Schrödinger's paradox, the cat plays the role of a macroscopic device, a Geiger counter, connected to a radioactive nucleus to determine the state of decay or "non-decay" of that nucleus. In this case, a living cat will be an indicator of “non-decay”, and a dead cat will be an indicator of decay. But according to quantum theory, the cat, like the nucleus, must exist in two superpositions of life and death.

Instead, the physicist says, the cat's quantum state should be entangled with the state of the atom, meaning they are in a "nonlocal relationship" with each other. That is, if the state of one of the entangled objects suddenly changes to the opposite, then the state of its pair will also change, no matter how far they are from each other. At the same time, Hobson refers to experimental confirmation of this quantum theory.

“The most interesting thing about the theory of quantum entanglement is that the change in state of both particles occurs instantly: no light or electromagnetic signal would have time to transmit information from one system to another. So you can say it's one object divided into two parts by space, no matter how great the distance between them is,” explains Hobson.

Schrödinger's cat is no longer alive and dead at the same time. He is dead if the disintegration occurs, and alive if the disintegration never happens.

Let us add that similar solutions to this paradox were proposed by three more groups of scientists over the past thirty years, but they were not taken seriously and remained unnoticed in the wider community. scientific circles. Hobson notes that solving the paradoxes of quantum mechanics, at least theoretically, is absolutely necessary for its in-depth understanding.

Schrödinger

But just recently, THEORISTS EXPLAINED HOW GRAVITY KILLS SCHRODINGER'S CAT, but this is more complicated...

As a rule, physicists explain the phenomenon that superposition is possible in the world of particles, but is impossible with cats or other macro-objects, interference from environment. When a quantum object passes through a field or interacts with random particles, it immediately assumes just one state - as if it were measured. This is exactly how the superposition is destroyed, as scientists believed.

But even if somehow it became possible to isolate a macro-object in a state of superposition from interactions with other particles and fields, it would still sooner or later take on a single state. At least this is true for processes occurring on the surface of the Earth.

“Somewhere in interstellar space, perhaps a cat would have a chance to maintain quantum coherence, but on Earth or near any planet this is extremely unlikely. And the reason for this is gravity,” explains the lead author of the new study, Igor Pikovski of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Pikovsky and his colleagues from the University of Vienna argue that gravity has a destructive effect on quantum superpositions of macro-objects, and therefore we do not observe similar phenomena in the macrocosm. The basic concept of the new hypothesis, by the way, is briefly outlined in the feature film “Interstellar”.

Einstein's general theory relativity states that an extremely massive object will bend space-time near it. Considering the situation at a smaller level, we can say that for a molecule placed near the surface of the Earth, time will pass somewhat slower than for one located in the orbit of our planet.

Due to the influence of gravity on space-time, a molecule affected by this influence will experience a deviation in its position. And this, in turn, should affect its internal energy - vibrations of particles in a molecule that change over time. If a molecule is introduced into a state of quantum superposition of two locations, then the relationship between position and internal energy would soon force the molecule to “choose” only one of two positions in space.

“In most cases, the phenomenon of decoherence is associated with external influences, but in this case, the internal vibration of the particles interacts with the movement of the molecule itself,” explains Pikovsky.

This effect has not yet been observed, since other sources of decoherence, such as magnetic fields, thermal radiation and vibrations are usually much stronger, and cause the destruction of quantum systems long before gravity does. But experimenters strive to test the hypothesis.

A similar setup could also be used to test the ability of gravity to destroy quantum systems. To do this, it will be necessary to compare vertical and horizontal interferometers: in the first, the superposition should soon disappear due to the dilation of time at different “heights” of the path, while in the second, the quantum superposition may remain.

sources

http://4brain.ru/blog/%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%82-%D1%88%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0% B3%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0-%D1%81%D1%83%D1%82%D1%8C-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1% 82%D1%8B%D0%BC%D0%B8-%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8/

http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2632838

Here's a little more pseudo-scientific: for example, and here. If you don’t know yet, read about and what it is. And we’ll find out what The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

Encyclopedic YouTube

• 1 / 5

  In fact, Hawking and many other physicists are of the opinion that the Copenhagen School interpretation of quantum mechanics is unjustified in emphasizing the role of the observer. Final unity among physicists on this issue has still not been achieved.

  Parallelization of worlds at each moment of time corresponds to a genuine non-deterministic automaton, in contrast to a probabilistic one, when at each step one of the possible ways depending on their likelihood.

  Wigner's paradox

  This is a complicated version of Schrödinger's experiment. Eugene Wigner introduced the category of “friends.” After completing the experiment, the experimenter opens the box and sees a live cat. The state vector of the cat at the moment of opening the box goes into the state “the nucleus has not decayed, the cat is alive.” Thus, in the laboratory the cat was recognized as alive. Outside the laboratory is Friend. Friend doesn't know yet whether the cat is alive or dead. Friend recognizes the cat as alive only when the experimenter tells him the outcome of the experiment. But everyone else Friends the cat has not yet been recognized as alive, and will only be recognized when they are told the result of the experiment. Thus, the cat can only be recognized as completely alive (or completely dead) when all people in the universe know the result of the experiment. Up to this point in scale Big Universe the cat, according to Wigner, remains alive and dead at the same time.

  Practical use

  The above is used in practice: in quantum computing and quantum cryptography. A light signal in a superposition of two states is sent along a fiber-optic cable. If attackers connect to the cable somewhere in the middle and make a signal tap there in order to eavesdrop on the transmitted information, then this will collapse the wave function (from the point of view of the Copenhagen interpretation, an observation will be made) and the light will go into one of the states. By conducting statistical tests of light at the receiving end of the cable, it will be possible to detect whether the light is in a superposition of states or has already been observed and transmitted to another point. This makes it possible to create means of communication that exclude undetectable signal interception and eavesdropping.

  The experiment (which can in principle be carried out, although working quantum cryptography systems capable of transmitting large amounts of information have not yet been created) also shows that “observation” in the Copenhagen interpretation has nothing to do with the consciousness of the observer, since in this case the change in statistics by the end of the cable leads to a completely inanimate branch of the wire.