Who was Schrödinger?
Erwin Schrödinger (1887–1961), also known as Schrödinger, was an Austrian theoretical physicist who contributed significantly to the wave model of quantum mechanics (1) . His work earned him a Nobel Prize in 1933, which he shared with British physicist P.A.M. Dirac.
What is Schrödinger‘s Cat Experiment?
One of the most important concepts in quantum mechanics is wave-particle duality. This theory states that subatomic particles behave both as particles and as waves.
Schrödinger’s Cat is a thought experiment (2) that explains this concept (formally known as Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Superposition). It states that a quantum system (3) can exist in multiple possible states simultaneously until observed–observation causes it to collapse into one of these states.
In Schrödinger’s cat experiment, a cat is placed inside a box with a small amount of radioactive material that controls a vial of poison. When the radioactive material decays, it triggers a Geiger counter, releasing the poison and killing the cat. When the box is closed and the cat is not observed, it exists in a superposition of states — both alive and dead. This means there is a 50% chance that the cat is alive and a 50% chance that the cat is dead.
However, when the box is opened, the cat is observed in one definite state — either alive or dead. This suggests that when the box is closed, the cat exists in two different realities: in one, it is alive, and in the other, it is dead. Observing the cat forces it into one of these realities.
Today, physicists use this experiment to talk more philosophically about quantum mechanics.
- Suhani Kashyap
Glossary:
- Quantum Mechanics is the branch of physics that deals with the behavior of subatomic particles (electron, proton, and neutron) at the micro level.
- A thought experiment is a mental assessment of the implications of a hypothesis.
- A quantum system refers to any particle obeying the rules of quantum mechanics.
Sources:
- https://www.sciencealert.com/schrodinger-s-cat
- https://youtu.be/OkVpMAbNOAo?si=qRhlFZNqYeXPxVtX
- https://www.britannica.com/science/Schrodingers-cat
*Disclaimer: This article has also been posted to our Medium. NernstNaK is the rightful owner of this work on both our website and Medium, and thus stresses that there has been no plagiarism or copying on either account.*