Hot Schrödinger Cat States
arXiv:2406.03389 · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adr4492
Abstract
The observation of quantum phenomena often necessitates sufficiently pure states, a requirement that can be challenging to achieve. In this study, our goal is to prepare a non-classical state originating from a mixed state, utilizing dynamics that preserve the initial low purity of the state. We generate a quantum superposition of displaced thermal states within a microwave cavity using only unitary interactions with a transmon qubit. We measure the Wigner functions of these ``hot'' Schrödinger cat states for an initial purity as low as 0.06. This corresponds to a cavity mode temperature of up to 1.8 Kelvin, sixty times hotter than the cavity's physical environment. Our realization of highly mixed quantum superposition states could be implemented with other continuous-variable systems e.g. nanomechanical oscillators, for which ground-state cooling remains challenging.
arXiv commentAccepted version
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