> To get around this problem, Devoret and colleagues employ a clever trick involving a second excited state. The system can reach this second state from the ground state by absorbing a photon of a different energy. The researchers probe the system in a way that only ever tells them whether the system is in this second “bright” state, so named because it’s the one that can be seen. The state to and from which the researchers are actually looking for quantum jumps is, meanwhile, the “dark” state — because it remains hidden from direct view.

This is absolutely brilliant work. I had no idea that experimenters had found a way around the quantum measurement problem.

I have always wondered "how in hell can people experiment with something that is actually affected by simply LOOKING at it?" This gives me my answer.

Even though this idea is only one step in the findings of this article, I am so glad I came across it.