Harvard researchers find quantum systems keep traces of their initial states
Researchers at Harvard University and other institutions published a paper in Physical Review X on October 11, 2026, describing how quantum systems retain statistical traces of their beginnings.
Classical systems forget origins
Classical physical systems often explore many configurations until their long-term behavior hides starting conditions. This property is known as ergodicity and involves sampling available configurations according to a statistical distribution.
Quantum mechanics preserves memory
Quantum systems governed by quantum mechanics can instead retain traces of their beginnings through coherence effects. The new theoretical framework explains that these traces persist even when the system does not exchange information with its surroundings.
Study challenges chaos theory
The paper addresses a tension in quantum chaos regarding whether this memory is a special feature or something general. Senior author Joonas Keski-Rahkonen stated that the team wanted to determine if this phenomenon applies broadly beyond specific cases like quantum scars.
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