Viewers of Quantum Events Are Also Subject to Uncertainty

Things will get better. What if B is also anchored to a quantum object located in the superposition of two locations? Then, A’s quantum state is now smeared out in two different ways, depending on B’s possible positions.

In the example above, two typical properties of quantum systems – superposition and entanglement – turn out to depend on the frame of reference. “The main message is that many of the attributes we consider important are, to some extent, absolute, relative” or relative, says anne catherine de la hammetco-author of the recent paper.

Even the sequence of events succumbs to the rigor of the quantum reference frame. For example, from one frame of reference, we might observe a click of a detector occurring at a certain time. But from a different frame of reference, clicks may end up superimposed before and after other events. Whether you observe a click occurring at a specific time or in a superposition of different sequences of events depends on the choice of frame of reference.

Gravity’s stepping stone

Researchers hope to use these changing quantum perspectives to understand the puzzling nature of gravity. Einstein’s general theory of relativity is a classic theory of gravity, which believes that gravity is the distortion of the space-time structure by massive objects. But if the object itself is in a superposition of two locations, how will space-time be distorted? “It’s very difficult to answer this question using usual quantum physics and gravity,” said victoria cableresearcher in Bruckner’s group and co-author of the new paper.

However, switch to a reference frame in which the origin is in superposition, and massive objects may end up in well-defined locations. Its gravitational field can now be calculated. “By finding a convenient quantum reference frame, we can solve problems we cannot solve [and make it] We can use standard known physics to solve this problem,” Cabell said.

This change of perspective should aid analysis future experiments Its purpose is to superimpose extremely small masses. For example, a physicist Chiara Malletto and Vlatko Vedra Oxford University has recommended Place two masses in a superposition of two locations each, and study how this affects their gravitational fields. Emerging attempts to formally describe quantum reference frames may aid in understanding the interplay between these gravity and quantum theory—an important stepping stone toward quantum gravity theory.