Macroscopic Quantum Phenomena

Quantum mechanics was initially developed as a theory of physics on atomic scales.  Over the century since the modern quantum theory was introduced by Born, Einstein, Heisenberg, Jordan, Schroedinger, and their collaborators in Goettingen and elsewhere, philosophers and historians of science, as well as many physicists, have focused on how subsequent developments have informed our understanding of ever-smaller scales, leading to the Standard Model of Particle Physics and decades of research on beyond Standard Model physics.  But developments in a different direction have been equally important for physics, even while receiving less attention from foundations researchers.  Since the 1950s, physicists have successfully applied quantum mechanics at ever larger scales, developing rich theories and important experimental results concerning macroscopic quantum phenomena.  Some of these phenomena occur in ultracold systems, such as superfluids and Bose-Einstein condensates, while others involve coupling between optical and mechanical systems and large-scale superpositions.  Yet others involve applications at astrophysical and cosmological scales, to black holes and even to the entire universe.

This meeting will assemble an interdisciplinary group of physicists, historians, and philosophers to discuss the history, current state, and future of research on this important topic.  Key questions will include what consequences new developments on macroscopic quantum phenomena have for traditional questions in the foundations of quantum theory and how comparing different applications of quantum theory to mesoscales and large scales might enrich future research.