NIST researchers have created “quantum cats” using photons, a significant step forward in manipulating light for quantum technologies. These optical Schrödinger’s cats are made by detecting three photons simultaneously and represent some of the largest and most well-defined cat states ever created from light. The NIST team used ultrafast lasers, squeezed vacuum light, and photon detectors to create the cat states, which could enhance precision measurements, quantum computing, and secure quantum communications.
The potential impact of these quantum cats is significant. They could improve measurement techniques like interferometry, which is used to measure distance based on light interference. The research may also contribute to quantum computing, which could solve complex problems that are currently intractable. Larger quantum cats of light are needed for accurate information processing, and NIST’s work represents a major step forward in this area.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2010/08/nist-researchers-create-quantum-cats-made-light
Keywords: Quantum, Photons, Light, Superposition, Quantum Computing
