Arndt Group Sets 7,000-Atom Quantum Record With 133-Nanometer Superposition
Updated
Updated · Nautilus · May 26
Arndt Group Sets 7,000-Atom Quantum Record With 133-Nanometer Superposition
1 articles · Updated · Nautilus · May 26
8-nanometer sodium crystals containing about 7,000 atoms were placed in quantum superpositions with their centers of mass separated by up to 133 nanometers—more than 10 times the particles’ size.
The result sets a new macroscopicity record for matter-wave experiments, extending Arndt’s earlier progression from 60-atom fullerenes to organic molecules of up to 2,000 atoms.
The main obstacle is decoherence: any leaked information from stray light, gas molecules or other environmental interactions can collapse the superposition, making larger objects far harder to isolate.
Researchers see the next step as levitated, ground-state nanoparticles, with Arndt saying superpositions in the tens of millions of daltons could be reachable within years.
Such larger “Schrödinger’s kittens” could test whether quantum mechanics breaks down at bigger scales, probe whether gravity is quantum, and potentially detect dark matter or unknown forces.
Is our everyday reality an illusion, or will experiments soon find the absolute limit of quantum weirdness?
If scientists place a virus in superposition, will we have to redefine what it means to be alive?
Will the race for quantum supremacy trigger an unforeseen energy and environmental crisis?
Record-Breaking Quantum Superposition in Metallic Nanoparticles: Macroscopicity Score 15.5 Challenges Limits of Quantum Mechanics
Overview
In January 2026, a team from the University of Vienna, led by Markus Arndt and Stefan Gerlich with Klaus Hornberger, achieved a major breakthrough by demonstrating quantum superposition in metallic nanoparticles made of over 7,000 sodium atoms. Using a Talbot–Lau interferometer with ultraviolet laser gratings, they precisely manipulated and observed the quantum states of these large particles. This experiment set a new record in quantum mechanics, pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible and providing strong evidence that quantum effects can persist in much larger objects than previously confirmed.