Catching and Reversing a Quantum Jump Mid-Flight

Understand

A quantum system driven by a weak deterministic force while under strong continuous energy measurement exhibits quantum jumps between its energy levels (Nagourney et al., 1986, Sauter et al., 1986, Bergquist et al., 1986).

• This celebrated phenomenon is emblematic of the special nature of randomness in quantum physics.
• The times at which the jumps occur are reputed to be fundamentally unpredictable.
• However, certain classical phenomena, like tsunamis, while unpredictable in the long term, may possess a degree of predictability in the short term, and in some cases it may be possible to prevent a disaster by detecting an advance warning signal.