‘Quantum cat’ outlives every little thing else earlier than it – nevertheless it did not final lengthy

Scientists have created a new quantum superposition state. The ‘quantum cat’ was recorded to have lasted 20 minutes – with predictions the experiment could further test the boundaries of physics and our reality.

A quantum superposition state is when a particle, like an electron or photon, exists in multiple states or places at the same time. Instead of having a single state, it can be in several states at once, only settling into one when we look at or measure it.

The most famous example of a quantum cat is Schrödinger’s cat. The experiment, set up by physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935, illustrates the concept of superposition. In the experiment, a cat is placed in a sealed box with a radioactive atom, a Geiger counter, and a vial of poison. If the Geiger counter detects radiation from the atom, it releases the poison, killing the cat. But if it doesn’t detect radiation, the cat stays alive.

According to quantum theory, until the box is opened and observed, the atom exists in both two states, meaning the cat is simultaneously alive and dead.

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China, created a quantum superposition state that lasted an impressive 23 minutes and 20 seconds – a new record. Typically, quantum superposition states only last for a few microseconds to milliseconds, depending on the particle and the environment. Factors like temperature, magnetic fields and vibrations can disrupt the state and cause it to “collapse”.

In a study awaiting peer review, the scientists cooled 10,000 ytterbium atoms – a rare metal – to absolute zero and trapped them with light. They carefully controlled each atom and placed it into a ‘superposition’ of two distinct spin states, creating what’s called a “quantum cat” state.

Barry Sanders, from the University of Calgary and not involved in the study, told New Scientist the research was exciting because the quantum cat was “stable”. “A probe gets jiggled and pushed and nudged and prodded, and then by seeing what happens, you learn about the things that interact with it,” he said.

For scientists, it is the length of ‘quantum cat’ state which researchers are keen to learn more about. Researchers think with a better vacuum system, it can be made to last even longer.

Quantum superposition states are used for quantum computers, which can solve certain problems faster than normal computers.

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