Macroscopic "Lola/Mola" Cat State
Harman Deep Kaur, Mariagrazia Trapanese, Kirill Zatrimaylov
TL;DR
The work examines whether macroscopic objects can retain quantum superposition in a real-world setting, challenging the notion that macroscopic states rapidly decohere. It models Lola/Mola as a dynamically oscillating two-state system with a time scale around $T ≈ 12 h$ and formalizes the state by a time-dependent superposition, demonstrating daytime Lola dominance and nighttime Mola dominance. The key contribution is the purported first macroscopic quantum superposition that continuously transfers between two states, with decoherence purportedly suppressed when the Mola component is prevalent, challenging standard einselection in dynamically driven environments. This finding has implications for our understanding of decoherence mechanisms and for exploring macroscopic quantum phenomena in rapidly varying environments.
Abstract
We present the first--ever example of a macroscopic system in a quantum superposition. The system in question is a Siamese cat known as Lola; however, on a time scale of about 12 hours it oscillates into a different state that we refer to as "Mola". In the "Lola" state, the system is sweet and friendly and allows to cuddle itself, but in the "Mola" state, it is malevolent and witchy. When the probability of the system being in the "Mola" state is high, decoherence is strongly discouraged!