Saving Schrödinger's Kitty 🐈

[Steve001]

Physicists can predict the jumps of Schrodinger's cat (and finally save it)

Yale researchers have figured out how to catch and save Schrödinger's famous cat, the symbol of quantum superposition and unpredictability, by anticipating its jumps and acting in real time to save it from proverbial doom. In the process, they overturn years of cornerstone dogma in quantum physics
https://m.phys.org/news/2019-06-physicists-schrodinger-cat.html

 

[Wolrab]

So are they building the contraption and finding a kitty? Money where their mouth is?

 

[smartcooky]

Physicists can predict the jumps of Schrodinger's cat (and finally save it)

Yale researchers have figured out how to catch and save Schrödinger's famous cat, the symbol of quantum superposition and unpredictability, by anticipating its jumps and acting in real time to save it from proverbial doom. In the process, they overturn years of cornerstone dogma in quantum physics
https://m.phys.org/news/2019-06-physicists-schrodinger-cat.html

The problem with this is that it will only work nine times with the same cat. If they try it a 10th time, Schrödinger's Kitty Cat is TOAST!!

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

The problem with this is that it will only work nine times with the same cat. If they try it a 10th time, Schrödinger's Kitty Cat is TOAST!!

 

[Loss Leader]

I am proud to say that I have read extensively on quantum mechanics and this experiment. I did not understand a word.

 

[Steve001]

I am proud to say that I have read extensively on quantum mechanics and this experiment. I did not understand a word.

Could you elaborate? There's a short thread so far
here https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/quantum-jumps-and-schrodingers-cat-are-predictable.972961/ but is far over my head.

 

[psionl0]

I am proud to say that I have read extensively on quantum mechanics and this experiment. I did not understand a word.

I got the same level of understanding by not clicking on the link.

 

[The Man]

Interesting, to use a car analogy it would be like seeing someone's reverse lights come on before they back up. With that forewarning you can take action (honk your horn) to decrease the probability of that driver ever entering a 'backing up' state. As noted in the linked thread the decoherence of states in superposition lasts a finite time, while the start of that decoherence (when the car's backup lights come on) is still random (as far as anyone knows).

 

[theprestige]

My understanding is that the Cat is a thought experiment intended to demonstrate the absurdity of applying macroscopic intuition to quantum-mechanical processes.

Therefore, I reject with prejudice any un-reviewed research that claims to "overturn" any aspect of QM in terms of the Cat.

 

[The Man]

My understanding is that the Cat is a thought experiment intended to demonstrate the absurdity of applying macroscopic intuition to quantum-mechanical processes.

Exactly, as the superposition of states could not be maintained. As well one might notice from the stank of the box and the kitty skeleton inside when opened, half the time.*

Therefore, I reject with prejudice any un-reviewed research that claims to "overturn" any aspect of QM in terms of the Cat.

Most claims of pop science articles don't reflect the claims of researchers.



*No kitties were harmed in the making of that joke

 

[TragicMonkey]

Unless it's explained by Colonel Carter in a Stargate episode it just doesn't make sense. How do these findings affect the chances of evil aliens attacking Colorado Springs? For the record I'm fine with evil aliens attacking Colorado Springs so long as they don't do it via a clip show.

 

[Loss Leader]

I am proud to say that I have read extensively on quantum mechanics and this experiment. I did not understand a word.

Could you elaborate?

Certainly: I used my eyeballs to interpret a series of squiggles as representations of words. I then synthesized these words into sentences in my brain - basically imagining a series of nouns and actions. I then failed to comprehend almost all of the nouns and any of the actions. I completed the task by failing to comprehend how any of the nouns or actions might be in any way meaningful to anybody for any purpose.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Certainly: I used my eyeballs to interpret a series of squiggles as representations of words. I then synthesized these words into sentences in my brain - basically imagining a series of nouns and actions. I then failed to comprehend almost all of the nouns and any of the actions. I completed the task by failing to comprehend how any of the nouns or actions might be in any way meaningful to anybody for any purpose.

I did rather better: I understood the meaning of each word! I just don't understand what's being meant by combining all those words in the order chosen. I've tried re-arranging them but that made it even worse.

 

[Elvis666]

Certainly: I used my eyeballs to interpret a series of squiggles as representations of words. I then synthesized these words into sentences in my brain - basically imagining a series of nouns and actions. I then failed to comprehend almost all of the nouns and any of the actions. I completed the task by failing to comprehend how any of the nouns or actions might be in any way meaningful to anybody for any purpose.

I read it as well and, while I certainly can't claim even a fraction of your expertise on the subject, I did have two questions:

1. What did that article have to do with the cat in question?
2. What the heck is the "imminent disaster" the article claims can be avoided? The dead imaginary cat?

 

[The Man]

I read it as well and, while I certainly can't claim even a fraction of your expertise on the subject, I did have two questions:

1. What did that article have to do with the cat in question?

By detecting the decoherence as it starts you can, theoretically and purportedly experimentally by the tests cited, alter the system configuration so the decay (trigger) state is less probable. Thus there is less of an imaginary probability for the imaginary dead cat state.

The actual application would be in maintaining a superposition of states in say a Q-bit even with purtibating fields or potential interaction. In other words you could theoretically nip decoherence in the bud until the Q-bit was ready for evaluation.

2. What the heck is the "imminent disaster" the article claims can be avoided? The dead imaginary cat?

Yep (I imagine). Just in keeping with the motif of the article.

 

[Myriad]

The disaster being referred to must be the decay of the radioactive atom inside the box, which (per the original thought experiment) trips a Geiger counter that triggers a device that kills the cat.

This doesn't seem to relate to the experiment very much, though. If the decoherence-detector is inside the box, then it could have the effect of saving the cat... but so would, for instance, omitting the radioactive atom or turning off the Geiger counter or disabling the killing device. Duh, so what?

And if the decoherence-detector is outside the box, then it's detecting something inside the box that was presupposed in the thought experiment to not allow any information through. That's just a contradiction.

If the key point here is detecting the start of the process of radioactive decay of an atom, in a manner that permits intervention to prevent the decay, why not just say that? I wouldn't think the importance of such a finding would rest on its applicability to veterinary medicine.

 

[Loss Leader]

If the key point here is detecting the start of the process of radioactive decay of an atom, in a manner that permits intervention to prevent the decay, why not just say that? I wouldn't think the importance of such a finding would rest on its applicability to veterinary medicine.

I thought, to the extent that any of it made any sense to me, that the scientists explicitly said they couldn't use it to stop radioactive decay. The only potential application they seemed to be excited about would be the ability to prevent random errors in quantum computing. And, indeed, one of the study's authors works for IBM.

Shortly after having this thought, I blacked out and when I came to, I had watched all six hours of Good Omens on Netflix.

 

[Myriad]

I thought, to the extent that any of it made any sense to me, that the scientists explicitly said they couldn't use it to stop radioactive decay. The only potential application they seemed to be excited about would be the ability to prevent random errors in quantum computing. And, indeed, one of the study's authors works for IBM.

Shortly after having this thought, I blacked out and when I came to, I had watched all six hours of Good Omens on Netflix.

Yeah, I read it again, and it seems more like the "disaster" they are talking about preventing is the Copenhagen-style "wave function collapse" or a decoherence or the breakdown of a superposed state. In the cat metaphor, that's when the box is opened causing the cat to actually become dead or alive instead of a superposition of both. (So they can save it from being dead, by intervening to put it back into a superposed state. Which might make sense for a qbit in a quantum computer but not for a cat, so maybe they shouldn't have used that as an explanation. They also describe the decoherence as a "quantum jump" which the article illustrates as a cat literally jumping. No wonder everyone's confused.)

 

[Hans]

What they don't realize is it isn't a cat but a rather put upon badger.

 

[shemp]

What they don't realize is it isn't a cat but a rather put upon badger.

That's why Mrs. Schrödinger was so pissed. "Why did you have to use the cat? You couldn't go out and get a badger!?"