Ways to Mitigate Decoherence in Solitonic Schroedinger Cats

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Observed states of macroscopic systems seldom exhibit obvious quantum characteristics. This is usually attributed to the effects of decoherence; that is, the influence of uncontrolled environmental variables which "average out" the quantum strangeness. This project is the continuation of a long-term effort to realize macroscopic quantum states using solitons (non-linear waves) generated in Bose-Einstein condensates. When such a wave is scattered from a potential barrier, it breaks into two; a high-frequency part that transcends the barrier, and a low-frequency part that is reflected. The question to be studied is whether, and under what conditions, the two components retain quantum coherence. Macroscopic quantum coherence plays a special role in modern physics. While being one of the most fundamental but untested assumptions, it promises a multifold increase in sensitivity of quantum sensors. This project is founded on a conjecture that large solitonic Schroedinger cats can emerge within a seemingly mean-field friendly range of parameters, for a large but limited number of atoms in a soliton. The conjecture will be theoretically explored by graduate students using a variety of computational methods.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.