Physicists have taken a big step in understanding quantum mechanics. A team at the University of Vienna has created the largest superposition ever recorded. This means they’ve put a group of about 7,000 sodium atoms into a state where they can exist in multiple locations at once. Instead of acting like solid objects moving in straight lines, these clusters behaved like waves, spreading out and merging in a way researchers could see.
Professor Sandra Eibenberger-Arias from the Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin calls this work “fantastic.” She points out that while quantum theory doesn’t limit the size of superpositions, everyday objects seem to follow different rules. This experiment, which examines clusters similar in size to proteins or small viruses, aims to answer a pressing question: How do quantum and classical worlds connect?
Giulia Rubino, a quantum physicist at the University of Bristol, emphasizes the practical importance of these findings. For future quantum computers to function correctly, they may need to handle millions of objects in a superposition. If nature restricts this in ways we don’t understand, the impact on technology could be huge.
The history of quantum mechanics dates back to 1935 when Erwin Schrödinger posed his famous cat thought experiment. A cat in a box can be both alive and dead, depending on an atomic decay that we can’t observe directly. This highlights the strangeness of quantum mechanics, where the act of observation plays a crucial role.
In real life, particles often lose their superposition due to decoherence as they interact with their surroundings. Some theories suggest that systems might collapse to a classical state when they become too complex. In a 2025 Nature survey, around 4% of researchers preferred these collapse theories as their explanation of quantum behavior.
To explore the limits of superposition, the research team generated atomic clusters at -196ºC in an ultra-high vacuum. These clusters passed through a setup that allowed their wave-like behavior to be observed. This process illustrates how science continues to push boundaries, requiring new experimentation techniques to explore the unknown.
For more insights on quantum mechanics and its implications, you can check out resources from reputable sources like Nature.
Source link
Quantum physics,Science,Humanities and Social Sciences,multidisciplinary
