English to Italian Science Physics quantum mechanics

Schrödinger’s cat goes back to the equation that bears his name. Apply it to a radioactive source such as a lump of radium and it gives a probability that an atom within the radium will decay, emitting a burst of radiation, within a certain time. According to the Copenhagen interpretation, until that decay is measured the atom is in a superposition of decayed and not-decayed. In 1935, Schrödinger published a paper containing a novel thought experiment that Einstein considered the “prettiest way” to show the incompleteness of quantum theory. In it, the radium is placed next to a radiation detector that causes a hammer to fall when it detects a burst of radiation. If the hammer falls, it smashes a vial of cyanide. Next to the vial is a live cat. Should the vial of cyanide be smashed, the cat will inhale the toxic gas and die. All of this is held within a closed box so that no one can tell whether the cat is dead or alive.