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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.02672 |
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| _version_ | 1866908829733617664 |
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| author | Guttel, Barkay Gov, Danielle Netzer, Noam Goldblatt, Uri Hazanov, Sergey Joshi, Lalit M. Romito, Alessandro Gefen, Yuval Kumar, Parveen Snizhko, Kyrylo Lafont, Fabien Rosenblum, Serge |
| author_facet | Guttel, Barkay Gov, Danielle Netzer, Noam Goldblatt, Uri Hazanov, Sergey Joshi, Lalit M. Romito, Alessandro Gefen, Yuval Kumar, Parveen Snizhko, Kyrylo Lafont, Fabien Rosenblum, Serge |
| contents | Quantum mechanics predicts that unobserved systems may exist in a superposition of states, yet measurement produces definite outcomes, a tension at the heart of the quantum-to-classical boundary. How the transformation between these opposing regimes unfolds as observation strength increases has remained experimentally unexplored. Here, by continuously tuning the measurement strength on a superconducting qubit, we reveal that measurement-dominated dynamics emerge not gradually but through three distinct transitions: coherent oscillations abruptly halt; the system then freezes near a stable quantum state; and finally enters the quantum Zeno regime, where stronger observation paradoxically slows relaxation. Decoherence, rather than washing out this structure, reorganizes it, inverting the order in which transitions appear and decoupling signatures that coincide in idealized models. These results establish that the route from quantum dynamics to measurement-dominated behavior unfolds in sharp transitions governed by the interplay between observation and environment. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_02672 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Gradually opening Schrödinger's box reveals a cascade of sharp dynamical transitions Guttel, Barkay Gov, Danielle Netzer, Noam Goldblatt, Uri Hazanov, Sergey Joshi, Lalit M. Romito, Alessandro Gefen, Yuval Kumar, Parveen Snizhko, Kyrylo Lafont, Fabien Rosenblum, Serge Quantum Physics Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Superconductivity Quantum mechanics predicts that unobserved systems may exist in a superposition of states, yet measurement produces definite outcomes, a tension at the heart of the quantum-to-classical boundary. How the transformation between these opposing regimes unfolds as observation strength increases has remained experimentally unexplored. Here, by continuously tuning the measurement strength on a superconducting qubit, we reveal that measurement-dominated dynamics emerge not gradually but through three distinct transitions: coherent oscillations abruptly halt; the system then freezes near a stable quantum state; and finally enters the quantum Zeno regime, where stronger observation paradoxically slows relaxation. Decoherence, rather than washing out this structure, reorganizes it, inverting the order in which transitions appear and decoupling signatures that coincide in idealized models. These results establish that the route from quantum dynamics to measurement-dominated behavior unfolds in sharp transitions governed by the interplay between observation and environment. |
| title | Gradually opening Schrödinger's box reveals a cascade of sharp dynamical transitions |
| topic | Quantum Physics Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Superconductivity |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.02672 |