Erasing the possibility of obtaining path information in Double-Slit experiment

William Seager

This note aims to make more familiar to philosophers yet another bizarre quantum mechanical effect with disturbing metaphysical implications. It is possible to modify the classic double-slit experiment so that one can register the path of a particle to determine which slit it passes through, and then erase this registered information so that the interference effects which would normally disappear upon registration of the “which path” information are reconstituted. Thus the “trajectory” of particles can be effected by temporally and spatially distant operations on the slit detectors. Nonetheless, no untoward effects (such as superluminal signalling) can result from the operation of the eraser.

Julio R. Gea-Banacloche, Masanao Ozawa

XinHua Liu, ChuangRui Liu, HanRui Liu

Abstract Wheeler proposed the "Delayed-Choice" Double-Slit Experiment. Perhaps the quantum delayed eraser experiments revealed Wheeler's unmeasurable phenomenon. However, all quantum delayed eraser experiments involve non-locality between entangled photon pairs, causing the timing relationship between events on the idler path and events on the signal path to not necessarily represent the timing relationship between the correspond events on the signal path. In the quantum delayed eraser experiments, the time distinguishing the path passing through the double-slit on the signal path is when they pass through the slits. Therefore, the quantum delayed eraser experiments do not adhere to the condition in Wheeler's "Delayed-Choice" Double-Slit Experiment, which need the distinction of the photons passing through the double-slit is done after the formation of the fringe pattern. The results of the quantum delayed eraser experiments do not exhibit the unmeasured phenomenon of Wheeler's "Delayed-Choice" Double-Slit Experiment. This paper proposes a method that eliminates the non-locality effects of entangled photons without using entangled photon pairs. By dividing the route of photons passing through the double-slit into two routes and verifying the fringe pattern based on the number of photons on the two routes, Wheeler's notion of an unmeasured phenomenon becomes measurable, thus providing a revelation method of the unmeasured phenomenon in Wheeler's "Delayed-Choice" Double-Slit Experiment.

Barry Kenneth Fleagle

Jiankun Lai

XinHua Liu, ChuangRui Liu, HanRui Liu

Abstract Wheeler proposed the "Delayed-Choice" Double-Slit Experiment. Some scholars believe that the quantum delayed eraser experiments reveals Wheeler's unmeasurable phenomenon. However, all quantum delayed eraser experiments involve non-locality between entangled photon pairs, causing the timing relationship between events on the idler path and events on the signal path to not necessarily represent the timing relationship between the correspond events on the signal path. In the quantum delayed eraser experiments, the time distinguishing the path passing through the double-slit on the signal path is when they pass through the slits. Therefore, the quantum delayed eraser experimentsdoes not adhere to the condition in Wheeler's "Delayed-Choice" Double-Slit Experiment, which need the distinction of the photons passing through the double-slit is done after the formation of the fringe pattern. The results of the quantum delayed eraser experimentsdo not exhibit the unmeasured phenomenon of Wheeler's "Delayed-Choice" Double-Slit Experiment.This paper proposes a method that eliminates the non-locality effects of entangled photons without using entangled photon pairs. By dividing the route of photons passing through the double-slit into two routes and verifying the fringe pattern based on the number of photons on the two routes, Wheeler's notion of an unmeasured phenomenon becomes measurable, thus providing a revelation method of the unmeasured phenomenon in Wheeler's "Delayed-Choice" Double-Slit Experiment.