Collapse and revival of "Schrodinger cat" states

Abstract

We study the dynamics of the Jaynes–Cummings model for two two-level systems (or qubits) interacting with a quantized single mode electromagnetic cavity (or quantum bus), extending this to the macroscopic case of an array of Nq qubits. For an initial cavity coherent state |α⟩ and the qubit system in a specified “basin of attraction” in its Hilbert space, we demonstrate the oscillation of a superposition of two macroscopic quantum states between the qubit system and the field mode. From the perspective of either the qubit or the field system, there is collapse and revival of a “Schrodinger cat” state.