Operating a contextual Stern-Gerlach apparatus

Abstract:We propose a contextual cavity/circuit QED analogue and extension of the Stern-Gerlach experiment, where the pseudo-spin of a two-state `atomic' transition plays the role of the ``spin'', while the resonant field driving the transition stands for the ``magnetic field''. A phase-sensitive continuous detection of the cavity field coupled to the induced `atomic' dipole affects the stability of the two distinct outcomes. The dressed states comprising the latter give their place to a self-consistent spontaneous dressed-state polarization as the driving strength is lowered. The associated evolution proves anew highly contextual, underpinned by a persistent production of coherent-state superpositions for a particular setting of the monitoring device. Finally, when bistability is absent, we employ the photoelectron `atomic' emission statistics as a diagnostic tool of the cavity field fluctuations.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall); Optics (physics.optics)

arXiv:2604.24727 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2604.24727v2 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.24727 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.70286 Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources

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