Light-matter micro-macro entanglement

Abstract

Quantum mechanics predicts microscopic phenomena with undeniable success. Nevertheless, current theoretical and experimental efforts still do not yield conclusive evidence that there is, or not, a fundamental limitation on the possibility to observe quantum phenomena at the macroscopic scale. This question prompted several experimental efforts producing quantum superpositions of large quantum states in light or matter. Here we report on the observation of entanglement between a single photon and an atomic ensemble. The certified entanglement stems from a light-matter micro-macro entangled state that involves the superposition of two macroscopically distinguishable solid-state components composed of several tens of atomic excitations. Our approach leverages from quantum memory techniques and could be used in other systems to expand the size of quantum superpositions in matter.

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Building a large-scale quantum computer with continuous-variable optical technologies
• Macroscopic superpositions require tremendous measurement devices
• Spectral hole lifetimes and spin population relaxation dynamics in neodymium-doped yttrium orthosilicate
• From Quantum Foundations to Applications and Back
• Strict experimental test of macroscopic realism in a light-matter-interfaced system
• Entanglement of macroscopically distinct states of light