Scalable Generation of Massive Schrödinger Cat States via Quantum Tunneling
arXiv:2502.06246 · doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03281-9
Abstract
Massive objects in spatial superposition may provide insights into the interplay between quantum mechanics and gravity. Cold atomic interferometers offer a promising platform due to extended matter-wave coherence times and precise controllability. However, high-mass spatial superpositions beyond single atoms have yet to be generated in such setups. Here, we report the scalable realization of high-mass spatial entanglement via quantum tunneling of ultracold atoms in optical lattices. We observe coherent tunneling of bound clusters, forming a composite object with a mass of 608~amu. Full control of the model parameters allows us to mitigate the usual suppression of tunneling with increasing mass. Furthermore, we construct an interferometer to certify the entanglement and use spatially distributed Schrödinger cat states to perform quantum-enhanced measurements. These results establish an approach to generating and detecting massive superposition states relevant to studies of quantum gravity.
arXiv comment20 pages, 14 figures
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