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Physics

Quantum Cheshire Cat effect may separate a particle from its momentum

A quantum experiment that could separate a particle’s properties from its mass has physicists arguing over how reality works in the quantum world

By Alex Wilkins

12 February 2024

The Cheshire cat from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The Cheshire Cat from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland can disappear leaving only its smile – particles might be able to do something similar

Shutterstock/Larissa Kulik

A new version of a strange experiment in which a particle’s properties are separated from its body or mass, called the quantum Cheshire Cat, has physicists arguing over whether these disembodied properties are quite what they seem and how reality works in the quantum world.

In 2014, physicists experimentally demonstrated this strange effect – compared…

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