Slow Decoherence of Superpositions of Macroscopically Distinct States

Daniel Braun; Petr A. Braun; Fritz Haake

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arXiv · quant-ph/9903041

Slow Decoherence of Superpositions of Macroscopically Distinct States

Daniel Braun·Petr A. Braun·Fritz Haake

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Abstract

Linear superpositions of macroscopically distinct quantum states (sometimes also called Schrödinger cat states) are usually almost immediately reduced to a statistical mixture if exposed to the dephasing influence of a dissipative environment. Couplings to the environment with a certain symmetry can lead to slow decoherence, however. We give specific examples of slowly decohering Schrödinger cat states in a realistic quantum optical system and discuss how they might be constructed experimentally.

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Daniel Braun, Petr A. Braun, Fritz Haake. 1999-03-11. Slow Decoherence of Superpositions of Macroscopically Distinct States. https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9903041

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