Certifying Macroscopic Quantum Mechanics via Hypothesis Testing with Finite Data

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Riera-Campeny, Andreu, Maurer, Patrick, Romero-Isart, Oriol
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Riera-Campeny, Andreu
Maurer, Patrick
Romero-Isart, Oriol
author_facet Riera-Campeny, Andreu
Maurer, Patrick
Romero-Isart, Oriol
contents We address the challenge of certifying quantum behavior with single macroscopic massive particles, subject to decoherence and finite data. We propose a hypothesis testing framework that distinguishes between classical and quantum mechanics based on position measurements. While interference pattern visibility in single-particle quantum superposition experiments has been commonly used as a sufficient criterion to falsify classical mechanics, we show that, from a hypothesis testing perspective, it is neither necessary nor efficient. Focusing on recent proposals to prepare macroscopic superposition states of levitated nanoparticles, we show that the likelihood ratio test -- which leverages differences across the entire probability distribution -- provides an exponential reduction in measurements needed to reach a given confidence level. These results offer a principled, efficient method to falsify classical mechanics in interference experiments, relaxing the experimental constraints faced by current efforts to test quantum mechanics at the macroscopic scale.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_22092
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Certifying Macroscopic Quantum Mechanics via Hypothesis Testing with Finite Data
Riera-Campeny, Andreu
Maurer, Patrick
Romero-Isart, Oriol
Quantum Physics
We address the challenge of certifying quantum behavior with single macroscopic massive particles, subject to decoherence and finite data. We propose a hypothesis testing framework that distinguishes between classical and quantum mechanics based on position measurements. While interference pattern visibility in single-particle quantum superposition experiments has been commonly used as a sufficient criterion to falsify classical mechanics, we show that, from a hypothesis testing perspective, it is neither necessary nor efficient. Focusing on recent proposals to prepare macroscopic superposition states of levitated nanoparticles, we show that the likelihood ratio test -- which leverages differences across the entire probability distribution -- provides an exponential reduction in measurements needed to reach a given confidence level. These results offer a principled, efficient method to falsify classical mechanics in interference experiments, relaxing the experimental constraints faced by current efforts to test quantum mechanics at the macroscopic scale.
title Certifying Macroscopic Quantum Mechanics via Hypothesis Testing with Finite Data
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.22092