A mathematical analysis of a pendulum system reveals the relevance to quantum systems of the classical concept of ‘monodromy’ — why a falling cat always lands the right way up.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stewart, I. Quantizing the classical cat. Nature 430, 731–732 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/430731a
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/430731a
This article is cited by
-
Integrable systems, symmetries, and quantization
Letters in Mathematical Physics (2018)
-
A novel smooth and discontinuous oscillator with strong irrational nonlinearities
Science China Physics, Mechanics and Astronomy (2012)
-
Living in a physical world XII. Keeping up upward and down downward
Journal of Biosciences (2007)