arXiv · 2510.01945
Measuring the measurement problem: controlling decoherence with measurement duration in molecular MCB junctions
Abstract
We investigate the influence of the measurement duration on quantum coherence in molecular mechanically controlled break junctions operating in a tetrahydrofuran (THF) partially wet phase. These systems represent a distinct class of enclosed open quantum systems with unusually long decoherence times at ambient conditions, on the order of 1-20 ms. By tuning the integration time of the current measurement in current-voltage (IV) characteristics, relative to the decoherence time, we observe a transition from quantum interference patterns, manifested as structured bands of data points, to classical behavior characterized by a single averaged response. This demonstrates that the duration of a measurement acts as a controllable parameter for probing quantum behavior in molecular junctions, offering new insights into decoherence dynamics in quantum mechanics.
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C. J. Muller. 2025-10-02. Measuring the measurement problem: controlling decoherence with measurement duration in molecular MCB junctions. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.01945
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