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arXiv:2011.00723 · Physical Review A

Experimental tests of the density matrix's property-based complementarity relations

Mauro Buemo Pozzobom, Marcos L. W. Basso, Jonas Maziero

Published Feb 16, 2021• 10 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Bohr's complementarity principle is of fundamental historic and conceptual importance for quantum mechanics (QM), and states that, with a given experimental apparatus configuration, one can observe either the wave-like or the particle-like character of a quantum system, but not both. However, it was eventually realized that these dual behaviors can both manifest partially in the same experimental setup, and, using ad hoc proposed measures for the wave and particle aspects of the quanton, complementarity relations were proposed limiting how strong these manifestations can be. Recently, a formalism was developed and quantifiers for the particleness and waveness of a quantum system were derived from the mathematical structure of QM entailed in the density matrix's basic properties ($\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\ge}0, \mathrm{Tr}\ensuremath{\rho}=1$). In this article, using IBM Quantum Experience quantum computers, we perform experimental tests of these complementarity relations applied to a particular class of one-qubit quantum states and also for random quantum states of one, two, and three qubits.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.103.022212

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Bohr's complementarity principle is of fundamental historic and conceptual importance for quantum mechanics (QM), and states that, with a given experimental apparatus configuration, one can observe either the wave-like or the particle-like character of a quantum system, but not both. However, it was eventually realized that these dual behaviors can both manifest partially in the same experimental setup, and, using ad hoc proposed measures for the wave and particle aspects of the quanton, complementarity relations were proposed limiting how strong these manifestations can be. Recently, a formalism was developed and quantifiers for the particleness and waveness of a quantum system were derived from the mathematical structure of QM entailed in the density matrix's basic properties (\ensuremathρ\ensuremath≥0,Tr\ensuremathρ=1\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\ge}0, \mathrm{Tr}\ensuremath{\rho}=1\ensuremathρ\ensuremath≥0,Tr\ensuremathρ=1). In this article, using IBM Quantum Experience quantum computers, we perform experimental tests of these complementarity relations applied to a particular class of one-qubit quantum states and also for random quantum states of one, two, and three qubits.
Bohr’s complementarity principle has long been a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics, positing that, within a given experimental set-up, a quantum system (or quanton) can exhibit either its wave-like character, denoted as W , or its particle-like character, denoted as P , but not both simultaneously. Modern interpretations of Bohr’s complementarity principle acknowledge the coexistence of these aspects in the same experiment while introducing the constraint W + P ≤ α . Notably, estimations of W or P frequently rely on indirect retrodiction methods, a practice that has led to the claim of the violation of Bohr’s complementarity principle. By taking a different route, recent advancements demonstrate that quantum complementarity relations can be rigorously derived from the axioms of quantum mechanics. To reconcile these observations and eliminate potential paradoxes or violations, we propose an updated formulation for the quantum complementarity principle, which is stated as follows: For a given quantum state preparation ρ t at a specific instant of time t , the wave and particle behaviours of a quanton are constrained by a complementarity relation 𝔚 ( ρ t ) + 𝔓 ( ρ t ) ≤ α ( d ) , which is derived directly from the axioms of quantum mechanics.
Bohr's Complementarity Principle is a core concept of quantum mechanics. In this article, an updated complementarity relation for the wave and ondulatory aspects of a quantum system is presented and discussed. Two interferometric experiments are implemented in one and two qubit circuits and executed on real hardware. The final state density matrices are reconstructed using quantum state tomography and the complementarity relation is tested via direct computation. Results of the executions are presented both graphically and with a mean squared error analysis for a better comprehension.
One of the milestones of quantum mechanics is Bohr's complementarity principle. It states that a single quantum can exhibit a particlelike ororor a wavelike behavior, but never both at the same time. These are mutually exclusive and complementary aspects of the quantum system. This means that we need distinct experimental arrangements in order to measure the particle or the wave nature of a physical system. One of the most known representations of this principle is the single-photon Mach-Zehnder interferometer. When the interferometer is closed an interference pattern is observed (wave aspect of the quantum) while if it is open, the quantum behaves like a particle. Here, using a molecular quantum information processor and employing nuclear magnetic resonant (NMR) techniques, we analyze the quantum version of this principle by means of an interferometer that is in a quantum superposition of being closed and open, and confirm that we can indeed measure both aspects of the system with the same experimental apparatus. More specifically, we observe with a single apparatus the interference between the particle and the wave aspects of a quantum system.
An experimental test of the quantum complementarity principle based on single neutral atoms trapped in a blue detuned bottle trap was here performed. A Ramsey interferometer was used to assess the wavelike behavior or particlelike behavior with second $\ensuremath{\pi}/2$ rotation on or off. The wavelike behavior or particlelike behavior is characterized by the visibility VVV of the interference or the predictability PPP of which-path information, respectively. The measured results fulfill the complementarity relation ${P}^{2}+{V}^{2}\ensuremath{\le}1$. Imbalance losses were deliberately introduced to the system and we find the complementarity relation is then formally ``violated.'' All the experimental results can be completely explained theoretically by quantum mechanics without considering the interference between wave and particle behaviors. This observation complements existing information concerning Bohr's complementarity principle based on wave-particle duality of a massive quantum system.
Abstract Bohr’s complementarity and Schrödinger’s entanglement are two prominent physical characters of quantum systems. In this article, we formally connect them. It is known that complementarity relations for wave-particle duality are saturated only for pure, single-quanton, quantum states. For mixed states, the wave-particle quantifiers never saturate a complementarity relation and can even reach zero for a maximally mixed state. To fully characterize a quanton, it is not enough to consider its wave-particle aspect; we have also to regard its quantum correlations with other systems. Here we prove that for any complete complementarity relation involving predictability and visibility measures that satisfy the criteria established in the literature, the corresponding quantum correlations are entanglement monotones. Therefore, we formally connect entanglement monotones with complementarity relations without appealing to a particular measure.
Some recent works have introduced a quantum twist to the concept of complementarity, exemplified by a setup in which the which-way detector is in a superposition of being present and absent. It has been argued that such experiments allow measurement of particle-like and wave-like behavior at the same time. Here, we derive an inequality which puts a bound on the visibility of interference and the amount of which-way information that one can obtain, in the context of such modified experiments. As the wave aspect can only be revealed by an ensemble of detections, we argue that, in such experiments, a single detection can contribute only to one subensemble, corresponding to either wave aspect or particle aspect. This way, each detected particle behaves either as particle or as wave, never both, and Bohr's complementarity is fully respected.