Quantum Light Creates Superposition States in Matter at Record Speed

Shohei Imai, University of Tokyo, and colleagues have developed a new method for creating macroscopic quantum states in materials using bright squeezed vacuum light and single-shot measurement techniques. The approach overcomes limitations of weak-coupling regimes, enabling the preparation of a Gaussian-weighted quantum superposition of matter states. The team used heralding dynamics as a Gaussian filter on electric polarisation, accelerating the formation of a zero-eigenvalue Dicke state and subsequently driving a transition towards a cat-like state. These findings represent a key advance in the field, paving the way for ultrafast engineering of macroscopic quantum matter with strong-field quantum light. Bright squeezed vacuum light, a non-classical state of light characterised by a reduction in quantum…