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arXiv:1710.11338

Complementarity and the pathological statistics of the quantum impossible

Irene Bartolomé, Alfredo Luis

Published Oct 31, 2017• 0 citations
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Abstract

Standard quantum physics prevents the existence of a joint statistics for complementary observables. Nevertheless, a joint distribution for complementary observables can be derived from their imperfect simultaneous measurement followed by a suitable data inversion. Quantumness is reflected then in the pathologies of the inferred distribution. We apply this program to the paradigmatic example of complementarity: the wave-particle duality in a Young interferometer.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1710.11338

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Standard quantum physics prevents the existence of a joint statistics for complementary observables. Nevertheless, a joint distribution for complementary observables can be derived from their imperfect simultaneous measurement followed by a suitable data inversion. Quantumness is reflected then in the pathologies of the inferred distribution. We apply this program to the paradigmatic example of complementarity: the wave-particle duality in a Young interferometer.
Complementary observables can be measured simultaneously with less than perfect accuracy, but the uncertainty added in the observation to each observable can be removed by a proper data inversion. We show that complementarity manifests in that the inferred joint distribution after the inversion is pathological in the sense of not being able to represent a true joint distribution. This is closely related to the fact that the observed joint distribution is not separable. We apply this program to the paradigmatic example of complementarity: the path-interference duality in a Young interferometer. A key feature is that the conclusions hold equally well in the quantum and classical theories. Complementarity is also examined in terms of Wigner-like functions and duality relations.
One of the most remarkable features of quantum physics is that attributes of quantum objects, such as the wavelike and particlelike behaviors of single photons, can be complementary in the sense that they are equally real but cannot be observed simultaneously. Quantum measurements, serving as windows providing views into the abstract edifice of quantum theory, are basic tools for manifesting the intrinsic behaviors of quantum objects. However, a quantitative formulation of complementarity that highlights its manifestations in general measurement scenarios remains elusive. Here we develop a general framework for demonstrating quantum complementarity in the form of information exclusion relations (IERs), which incorporates the wave-particle duality relations as particular examples. Moreover, we explore the applications of our theory in entanglement detection and elucidate that our IERs lead to an extended form of entropic uncertainty relations, providing insights into the connection between quantum complementarity and the preparation uncertainty.
Complementarity, e.g., the wave–particle duality of nature, lies at the heart of quantum mechanics. It distinguishes the world of quantum phenomena from the reality of classical physics. In the 1920s, quantum theory as we know it today was still new, and examples used to illustrate complementarity emphasized the position (particle-like) and momentum (wave-like) attributes of a quantum mechanical object, be it a photon or a massive particle. This is the historical reason why complementarity is often superficially identified with the so-called wave-particle duality of matter . Complementarity, however, is a more general concept. We say that two observables are complementary if precise knowledge of one of them implies that all possible outcomes of measuring the other one are equally probable. We may illustrate this by two extreme examples. The first example consists of the position and momentum (along one direction) of a particle: if, say, the position is predetermined then the result of a momentum measurement cannot be predicted, all momentum values are equally probable (in a large range). The second extreme involves two orthogonal spin components of a spin- 1/2 particle: if, say, the vertical spin component has a definite value ( up or down ) then upon measuring a horizontal component both values ( left or right , for instance) are found, each with a probability of 50%. Thus, in the microcosmos complete knowledge in the sense of classical physics is not available. The classic example of the merger of wave and particle behavior is provided by Young's double-slit experiment.