Experimental Blueprint for Distinguishing Decoherence from Objective Collapse

TL;DR

This paper proposes an experimental framework using levitated optomechanics to distinguish environmental decoherence from intrinsic wave-function collapse, aiming to test quantum linearity and explore new physics.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive, experimentally grounded blueprint for differentiating decoherence sources, integrating a detailed environmental model with collapse theories and a Bayesian inference protocol.

Findings

Framework for generating controllable Schrödinger-cat states.

Master equation incorporating environmental noise sources.

Bayesian protocol to discriminate collapse from decoherence.

Abstract

The transition from the quantum to the classical realm remains one of the most profound open questions in physics. While quantum theory predicts the existence of macroscopic superpositions, their apparent absence in the everyday world is attributed either to environmental decoherence or to an intrinsic mechanism for wave-function collapse. This work presents a quantitative and experimentally grounded framework for distinguishing these possibilities. We propose a levitated optomechanical platform capable of generating controllable Schrodinger-cat states in the center of mass motion of a dielectric nanosphere. A comprehensive master equation incorporates gas collisions, black-body radiation, and photon-recoil noise, establishing a calibrated environmental baseline. The Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) model is embedded within the same framework, predicting a characteristic saturation of the decoherence rate with superposition size and a quadratic scaling with mass. A Bayesian inference protocol is outlined to discriminate collapse induced excess decoherence from environmental noise. Together these elements provide a concrete experimental blueprint for a decisive test of quantum linearity, either revealing new physics beyond standard quantum mechanics or setting the most stringent bounds to date on objective-collapse parameters.