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arXiv:2406.04358 · Chinese Optics Letters

Quantum erasure based on orbital angular momentum of photons

Ye Yang, Chengyuan Wang, Yun Chen, Jianyi Xu, Xin Yang, Jinwen Wang, Enqi Zhang, Shuwei Qiu, Hong Gao, Fuli Li

Published Jan 1, 2025• 3 citations

Abstract

The quantum eraser effect exemplifies the distinctive properties of quantum mechanics that challenge classical intuition and reveal the wave-particle duality of light.Whether the photon exhibits particle-like or wave-like behavior depends on whether the path information is discernible.In this paper, we propose a novel quantum eraser scheme that utilizes photonic phase structures as the which-way indicator.This scheme is implemented using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), where one arm is configured with orbital angular momentum (OAM) to establish predetermined which-way information.Consequently, at the output ports of the MZI, the photon displays particle-like characteristics when the which-way information is retained.However, the introduction of an additional spiral phase plate (SPP) to eliminate the phase structure from the output photon of the MZI unveils distinct interference patterns.This result enhances our understanding of the quantum erasure effect.

DOI: 10.3788/col202523.032701

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Quantum erasers with paths in the form of physical slits have been studied extensively and proven instrumental in probing wave-particle duality in quantum mechanics. Here we replace physical paths (slits) with abstract paths of orbital angular momentum (OAM). Using spin-orbit hybrid entanglement of photons, we show that the OAM content of a photon can be erased with a complementary polarization projection of one of the entangled pair. The result is the (dis)appearance of azimuthal fringes based on whether the ``which-OAM'' information was erased. We extend this concept to a delayed measurement scheme and show that the OAM information and fringe visibility are complementary.

Youngs double slit experiment is one of the most celebrated achievements in quantum and classical optics; it provides experimental proof of the wave-particle duality of light. When the paths of the double slit are marked with orthogonal polarizations, the path information is revealed and no interference pattern is observed. However, the path information can be erased with a complimentary analysis of the polarization. Here we use hybrid entanglement between photons carrying orbital angular momentum and polarization to show that, just as in Young's experiment, the paths (OAM) marked with polarization do not lead to interference. However, when introducing the eraser (polarizer) which projects the polarization of one of the entangled photons onto a complementary polarization basis, the OAM (paths) are allowed to interfere, leading to the formation of azimuthal fringes whose frequency is proportional to the OAM content carried by the photon.

We report an experiment of which-way information and a quantum eraser based on polarization-controlled interference of two twisted light beams carrying high orbital angular momentum (OAM) up to ℓ=±50 and ±100, respectively. By changing the polarization plane of one OAM beam from 0° to 90° with respect to that of the other OAM beam, we observe the gradual disappearance of the interference petal-like patterns into the noninterference single bright rings. Subsequently, we use the eraser of a diagonal polarizer to retrieve the characteristic petal-like interference. The experimental results can be well explained in the frame of single-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger-like (GHZ-like) entanglement. Our work may be beneficial to understanding the wave-particle duality of light.

In the conventional interpretation of quantum mechanics the interference of particles in a two-beam interferometer is closely related to the problem of which-way information. One of the mysteries of quantum mechanics relies on the assumption that the wavefunction of each photon propagates simultaneously along both classically allowed paths, and that interference arises as a consequence of the indistinguishability of those paths. Any attempt to obtain which-way information by putting individual labels on the photons in each pathway inevitably destroys interference. However, even in cases in which the photons carry which-way labels, it is possible to erase those labels after the particle has left the interferometer. The erasing process (partly or completely) destroys the which-way information, and thereby restores interference. This phenomenon is known as quantum erasing. Here we present a lecture demonstration experiment of quantum erasing based on a Mach–Zehnder interferometer operated with single photons.