a billion others flowing the other way. Superconducting electrons move en masse. All the superconducting electrons in the SQUID flow both ways around the loop at once when they are in the Schrödinger's cat state." A piezoelectric "tuning fork" has been constructed, which can be placed into a superposition of vibrating and non vibrating states. The resonator comprises about 10 trillion atoms. An experiment involving a flu virus has been proposed. An experiment involving a bacterium and an electromechanical oscillator has been proposed. In quantum computing the phrase "cat state" sometimes refers to the GHZ state, wherein several qubits are in an equal superposition of all being 0 and all being 1; e.g., According to at least one proposal, it may be possible to determine the state of the cat before observing it. Extensions Prominent physicists have gone so far as to suggest that astronomers observing dark energy in the universe in 1998 may have "reduced its life expectancy" through a pseudo-Schrödinger's cat scenario, although this is a controversial viewpoint. In August 2020, physicists presented studies involving interpretations of quantum mechanics that are related to the Schrödinger's cat and Wigner's friend paradoxes, resulting in conclusions that challenge seemingly established assumptions about reality. See also Basis function Complementarity (physics) Double-slit experiment Elitzur–Vaidman bomb tester Heisenberg cut Modal realism Observer effect (physics) Schroedinbug Schrödinger's cat in popular culture References Further reading An article on experiments with "cat state" superpositions in superconducting rings, in which the electrons go around the ring in two directions simultaneously. A description of investigations of quantum "cat states" and wave function collapse by Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland, for which they won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics. External links A spoken word version of this article (created from a revision of the article dated 2013-08-12). Schrödinger's Cat from the Information Philosopher. Schrödinger's Cat - Sixty Symbols - a video published by the University of Nottingham. Schrödinger's Cat - a podcast produced by Sift. Articles containing video clips Fictional cats Physical paradoxes Quantum measurement Thought experiments in quantum mechanics