Decoherence
What is Decoherence?
Decoherence is a concept in quantum mechanics that explains why quantum behavior disappears when we observe a system. In the quantum world, particles can exist in many states at once, a condition called superposition. But in the everyday world, we don’t see this. Decoherence describes how interactions with the environment cause the system to lose its quantum features.
How It Works
- Quantum systems are very sensitive to their surroundings.
- When a system interacts with the environment, information about its state is spread out.
- This makes the system behave more classically, as if it has only one state.
Importance
Decoherence helps bridge the gap between the quantum and classical worlds. It is also a big challenge in building quantum computers, which need to prevent decoherence to work properly.
Conclusion
Decoherence explains why we don’t see quantum effects in our daily lives and plays a major role in modern physics and technology.