QCATZ — Schrodinger Cats: the quest to find the edge of the quantum world

The generation of macroscopic quantum superpositions of massive objects have fascinated scientists since Schrodinger but scientific developments now promise that such superpositions may become possible in the very near future. This meeting will focus on the science of macroscopic quantum superpositions - or more commonly known as Schrodinger Cats. In the 1930s Erwin Schrodinger made a thought experiment to test the boundaries of quantum mechanics. He asked if it could be possible, not only in principle, but also in practice, to make a quantum superposition of a large-massive object (in his case a cat), in two very different positions. As far as we know - this should be possible - but extremely challenging experimentally. If one can even achieve this for nanometer (or larger), sized particles one opens the possibility of tackling many fundamental questions e.g. how does quantum interact with gravity, is there some other addition to quantum mechanics which prevents the formation of such large-massive quantum superpositions? Can such massive superpositions be used for ultrasensitive sensors. This meeting will bring experimentalists and theorists together to discuss recent science (experiment and theory), towards generating such quantum superpositions.

Topics: quantum superpositions, schrodinger cats, quantum sensors, quantum gravity