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On the interpretation of Delayed Choice Quantum Experiments

Padmanabhan Murali

Published Feb 1, 2015• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Experimental realization of Gedanken experiments on Quantum Mechanics continue to suggest inferences of action at a distance, action into the future or past as reported in Delayed choice Quantum entanglement experiments recently by Ma et al (2012). Is it possible to read through this and investigate through simple logic and experiments whether control of the past or future is possible? A set of experiments are suggested here to do the same whose results may be interesting. Gedanken experiments on Quantum Mechanics principles Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen (Einstein et al, 1935) were the first to suggest a Gedanken experiment which would suggest instant communication over a distance between particles which was against the principle of Special

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J. E. F. Araújo, João L. Cordovil, Croca +1 more

Abstract: Recently the experimental group of A. Aspect published a very interesting experimental realization of the well known Wheeler’s delayed-choice Gedanken Experiment. In the paper the authors refer to the usual, non causal linear explanation of the experiment. In the present work we show how it is possible, and furthermore desirable, to explain the same experiment in terms of the modern local causal and nonlinear quantum theory, inspired in the work of the great physicist Louis de Broglie. In this way we are able to get rid of the mysteries and of the weird features of the orthodox interpretation, like retractions in time, and therefore recover causality and rationality once more.

•Jan 1, 2009•4 citations
Experimental realization of Gedanken experiments on Quantum Mechanics continue to suggest inferences of action at a distance, action into the future or past as reported in Delayed choice Quantum entanglement experiments recently by Ma et al (2012). Is it possible to read through this and investigate through simple logic and experiments whether control of the past or future is possible? A set of experiments are suggested here to do the same whose results may be interesting. Gedanken experiments on Quantum Mechanics principles Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen (Einstein et al, 1935) were the first to suggest a Gedanken experiment which would suggest instant communication over a distance between particles which was against the principle of Special
We study a generalization of the original Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen thought experiment. It is essentially a delayed choice experiment as applied to entangled particles. The basic idea is: given two observers sharing position-momentum entangled photons, one party chooses whether she measures position or momentum of her photons after the particles leave the source. The other party should infer her action by checking for the absence or presence of characteristic interference patterns after subjecting his particles to certain optical pre-processing. An occurance of apparent signaling is attributed to the difficulty in treating single photons simultaneously at a quantum mechanical and quantum electrodynamic level, as required by the experiment, and points to the need for a careful study of an aspect of the foundations of quantum mechanics and electrodynamics.
Although it may seem The Delayed Choice experiments contradict causality and one could construct an experiment which could possibly affect the past, using Many World interpretation we prove it is not possible. We also find a mathematical background to Which-path information and show why its obtainability prevents system from interfering. We find a system which exhibit both interference and correlation and show why one-particle interference and correlations are complementary. Better visible interference pattern leads to worse correlations and vice versa. Then, using knowledge gained from Quantum Eraser and Delayed Choice experiments we prove there is not an objective reality in a sense of Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen. Furthermore, we discuss the difference between ``outer'' (non-interacting) and ``inner'' (interacting) observer. We find the mathematical relationship between the ``universal'' wave function used by ``outer'' observer and processes the ``inner'' observer sees, which is our small contribution to the measurement problem.
Wave-particle duality lies at the root of quantum mechanics and is central in the description of interferences observed with elementary objects. In a delayed-choice experiment, the decision to observe the particle or wave character of a quantum system is delayed with respect to the time at which the system enters the interferometer. This paper reviews the history of the delayed-choice idea, introduced as a challenge to a realistic explanation of the wave-particle duality. It also describes recent experimental realizations of this idea and discusses intriguing extensions, such as the duality between separability and entanglement in multiple quantum systems.
This paper discusses the well-known delayed choice Quantum Eraser experiment performed by Kim et al. in 2000 and analyzes it from a Classical Physics perspective. I have included a diagram of the setup used in the experiment. I show that the result of the experiment can be explained by Classical Physics and does not require “Spooky action at a distance” due to entangled particles, as Einstein famously once put it, nor events modifying the past due to the delayed choice aspect of the experiment.
Gedanken experiments help to reconcile our classical intuition with quantum mechanics and nowadays are routinely performed in the laboratory. An important open question is the quantum behavior of the controlling devices in such experiments. We propose a framework to analyze quantum-controlled experiments and illustrate it by discussing a quantum version of Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment. Using a quantum control has several consequences. First, it enables us to measure complementary phenomena with a single experimental setup, pointing to a redefinition of complementarity principle. Second, it allows us to prove there are no consistent hidden-variable theories having "particle" and "wave" as realistic properties. Finally, it shows that a photon can have a morphing behavior between particle and wave. The framework can be extended to other experiments (e.g., Bell inequality).
Abstract: Recently the experimental group of A. Aspect published a very interesting experimental realization of the well known Wheeler’s delayed-choice Gedanken Experiment. In the paper the authors refer to the usual, non causal linear explanation of the experiment. In the present work we show how it is possible, and furthermore desirable, to explain the same experiment in terms of the modern local causal and nonlinear quantum theory, inspired in the work of the great physicist Louis de Broglie. In this way we are able to get rid of the mysteries and of the weird features of the orthodox interpretation, like retractions in time, and therefore recover causality and rationality once more.