Quantum science is generally concerned with ultra-small scales, where probability mathematics becomes a more useful tool than 'classical' descriptions of matter. Now, new research has proposed a way to measure the size of very large masses.
Scientists have long wanted to test the quantum nature of large objects: the general consensus is that quantum physics applies. At every levelBut as objects grow in mass and complexity, observing their size becomes difficult.
Now, a team from University College London (UCL), the University of Southampton in England and the Bose Institute in India has come up with an approach to quantum measurement that can measure something regardless of its mass or energy. .
„Our proposed experiment can test whether an object is classical or quantum, and see if an observational action causes a change in its motion.” He says Physicist Debarshi Das from UCL.
Quantum physics describes a universe where matter is not defined by a single dimension, but by a range of possibilities. An electron can spin up and down, or be more likely to be in some regions than others.
In theory, it is not limited to small things. Your own body can be described as having a very high probability of sitting in that chair and a very (very!) low probability of being on the moon.
There's only one basic fact to remember – if you touch it, you've bought it. The quantum state of an object, whether an electron or a person sitting in a chair, must be associated with a measurement system that forces a single measurement.
Quantum Pants have ways to grab objects below, but they must hold the object in place ground level – So cold, so fast, so completely cut off from its environment.
This is tricky with individual particles, and more challenging as the scale increases. The new proposal uses a completely novel approach that uses a combination of assertions Leggett-Cork disparities and no-signaling in timing conditions.
In fact, these two concepts describe a familiar universe where a person sits in a chair and you cannot see them even though the room is dark. They can't suddenly reveal that they're actually under the bed by turning on the light.
If an experiment finds evidence that somehow contradicts these claims, we can see a glimpse of quantum ambiguity at large.
The team proposes that objects can be observed swinging on a pendulum, like a ball at the end of a piece of string.
Light is flashed at different times on both parts of the experimental setup – counting as observation – and the results of the second flash indicate whether quantum behavior is happening, as the first flash affects everything that moves.
We're talking about a more complex system that requires some sophisticated equipment and conditions like ground level – but with movement and two measurements (flashes of light), some restrictions on mass are removed.
„A crowd at a football match does not influence the outcome of the game by watching strongly.” He says Das. „But with quantum mechanics, the observation or measurement process changes the system.”
The next step is to try this proposed system in an actual experiment. Mirrors in Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US have already been proposed as suitable candidates for examination.
The glasses act as a 10-kilogram (22-pound) object, a step up from the typical size of materials analyzed for quantum effects — up to one quintillionth of a gram.
„Our project has broad ideological implications,” He says Soukato Bose, a physicist at UCL. „This could expand the domain of quantum mechanics and explore whether this fundamental principle of nature is only valid at certain scales, or whether it holds true for large masses as well.”
Published in the thesis Physical review letters.
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