Save Schrödinger’s Cat Game

Based on the rules of a videogame called Quantum Odyssey by quarksinteractive.com

Dr. Schrödinger is conducting a classic quantum experiment! He has built a steel chamber in which
he has placed a Geiger counter along with a tiny bit of radioactive substance, an amount so small
that perhaps in a matter of minutes one of the atoms will decay, but perhaps, with equal probability,
none of the atoms will decay. If this does happen, the counter tube will discharge, then through an
electromagnet activated by a signal, release a hammer that shatters a flask of sleeping gas.
Dr. Schrödinger leaves the office for the night to feed his cat.
You are his lab assistant, and you are certain that if one of the atoms decays, the flask would surely
break inside the steel chamber and the gas would put everything inside the chamber to sleep.
As you ponder upon the experimental details, you hear a sudden “Meow!” coming from the steel
chamber.
Oh no, Schrödinger’s Cat must have sneaked inside the chamber searching for food!
You must quickly use your knowledge of quantum and Save Schrödinger’s Cat!

How to Win
The purpose of the game is to start from one of the Challenge Scenarios, place the cat token as indicated
in each scenario and then figure out and place down the right sequence of Quantum Gates to create a
quantum path for the cat token to arrive from the initial state (given in the Challenge Scenario) to our desired
final state: a single blue cat token on the Awake state. This will stabilize the atom and keep Schrödinger’s cat
awake.

You win a Challenge if you manage to obtain on the last card a single, blue-colored token at the end of an
uninterrupted sequence of quantum gate cards.

All quantum gates you placed should remain in place until you solve the Challenge Scenario. They represent
the Quantum Algorithm you create to achieve the final state (blue cat token on the Awake state) out of an
initial state given by the Challenge Scenario. There is more than one way to solve a problem!
 Game Components

1. The colors in the game represent

the quantum phase! There are
Color Legend
2 types of tokens: 4 blue-red
tokens (blue on one side and
red on the other), 4 green-gold
tokens (green on one side and
gold on the other). These 8
tokens, through their position and
color, represent quantum states
of the atom that decide the fate of
Schrödinger’s Cat!

2. The Color Legend table shows

the rules for phase interactions.

3. The Quantum Interference

table (next page) shows the
behavioral rules of what happens
to the quantum state inside an
H gate. You will need an H gate
when you want your tokens to be
in a superposition of both SLEEP
and AWAKE or create phase
interference between the tokens.

Quantum Interference table: use

only to calculate the quantum state of
your cat inside an H gate
Quantum Interference
 Game Setup

Rules of the game:

1. Place on a flat surface one of the Challenge Scenarios to start and the Final State card that shows the
winning condition.

2. Place the cat token(s) as indicated by the Challenge Scenario.

3. Pick from the quantum gate cards those that you believe will bring the token closer to the Final state.
Place these gates one below each other, from the Scenario card to the Final state card.

4. Navigate the quantum gates with the token. Follow the paths as indicated by the arrows. If one of the
paths is a different color, look at the Color Legend and change the color of the token as indicated by the
Color Legend.

5. Try to find the right combination of quantum gate cards to reach the Final State. The final combination of
gates used is your quantum algorithm. Try to find the optimal one (to reach the Final State with the least
number of gates).

6. A special case: The H gate:

You can create additional tokens, combine them, or remove tokens using the H gate. This gate has two
arrows pointing out from each state and two arrow pointers arriving to each state. For each state on the
H gate, add another identical copy of the same token(s) that are already present on that state to be able
to travel both arrows simultaneously. When the tokens collide, use the Quantum Interference table to
calculate what tokens are left!

Two examples of navigating quantum gate cards:

Case 1: blue cat token on Awake state entering a Z gate, followed by an X gate. The output will be a red cat
on the Sleep state.

ZX Sequence:

(1) Place blue token on the Z gate’s AWAKE state,

(2) Token will navigate a red path, flip it according to the Color Legend,

(3) The now red token enters X gate on the AWAKE state,

(4) Token crosses from the AWAKE state to the SLEEP state, through a blue path (according to the
Color Legend).
HH sequence:

(1) Place blue token on the H gate’s SLEEP state,

(2) There are two arrow pointers in the SLEEP state within the H gate. You must duplicate your token on
the board (add another one in this case). Tokens now navigate both paths of blue color (nothing changes
according to Color Legend) at the same time.

(3) In this step, you must repeat step (2) from both SLEEP and AWAKE states of the second H gate,
to have four tokens in total. Take notice that one of the paths from the AWAKE state is of red color, which
will flip one copy of the token from blue to red.

(4) Use the Quantum Interference table to calculate what happens to the colliding cats from step (3)!
Two blue cats colliding will leave a single blue one, while a blue and a red cat will result in no cats.
Color Legend table:
These are the rules for what happens to a cat token when it navigates a path of a specific color. Remember
there are two types of tokens (blue-red and green-gold).

Useful tips for colors:

1. The blue path is neutral, it preserves the color of the token.

2. The red path will always flip the token.

3. A green cat going through a green path will result in a red cat.

4. A gold cat going through a green path will result in a blue cat.

5. If you know a thing or two about Complex Numbers, it could be easier to think of multiplication between
complex numbers. For convenience, a blue cat is 1+0i, a red cat is -1+0i, a green cat is 0+i, a gold cat
is 0-i. If you know that (0+i)*(0+i)= -1+0i, this is just as saying a green cat goes through a green path
and comes out red (rule 3).

After you decide to place an H gate, you will notice that

because of how the paths within this gate are laid out,
your cat tokens will collide like what you see here:

Now look at the table on the right. In this example we

have two cases: blue + blue on the SLEEP state and
blue + red on the AWAKE state. The table shows yout
the outcome. Replace or remove the tokens as indicated
in the table.

For our example, we are left with a single blue cat:

If you know a thing or two about Complex Numbers, these are the rules for addition!
Example: blue + gold cats = form a blue and a gold cat together 1+0i+(0-i)=1-i
SLEEP X
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E

SLEEP X
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat

SLEEP S
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E

SLEEP S
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat

SLEEP S
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E

SLEEP Z
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat

SLEEP Z
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E

SLEEP Z
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat

SLEEP Y
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E

SLEEP Y
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat

SLEEP H
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E

SLEEP H
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat

SLEEP H
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E

SLEEP H
gate
AWA K E

SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat

 Place one     here Place one     here
SLEEP AWA K E SLEEP AWA K E
Place one     here Place one     here
SLEEP AWA K E SLEEP AWA K E
Place one     here Place one     here
SLEEP AWA K E SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat Save Schrödinger’s Cat

 1ST C HALL E N G E: 2 N D C HA L LE N G E:
You are sure that an An atom is about to decay…
atom will decay and put again! And that’s not all,
Schrödinger’s Cat to sleep. unfortunately you spilled
Save Schrödinger’s Cat orange juice over the X gate!
from certain sleep! In this scenario, you cannot
Place one     here Place one     here use the X gate!
Find a sequence of gates able
to flip the certain SLEEP state
of the cat to AWAKE.
SLEEP AWA K E SLEEP AWA K E
3R D C HALL E N G E: 4 T H CH AL L E N G E:
One of the atoms will be An atom will collapse soon
in Superposition. After and give Schrödinger’s Cat
this event, the cat is both a green phase! Save our
asleep and awake in the beloved cat!
chamber! Use the right
Place one     here quantum gates to Save Place one     here
Schrödinger’s Cat!
..and one     here
SLEEP AWA K E SLEEP AWA K E
5TH C HALL E N G E: M AK E YO U R OW N
CH AL L E N G E!
You accidentally left your
phone to vibrate over the You decide the starting state.
chamber and this caused a
Place disruption! An atom is now
in a mixed superposition:
here a blue and a green token You decide the starting state
on each state. Save
Place Schrödinger’s Cat at all
costs!
here
SLEEP AWA K E SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat Save Schrödinger’s Cat

Save Schrödinger’s Cat Save Schrödinger’s Cat

 SLEEP AWA K E
Place one     here
To win, get     here
..and one     here
SLEEP AWA K E
Save Schrödinger’s Cat
Save Schrödinger’s Cat Save Schrödinger’s Cat