Quantum entanglement: from Popper's experiment to quantum eraser

Yanhua H. Shih, Yoon-Ho Kim

John F. Reintjes, Mark Bashkansky

We describe an optical configuration that is predicted to exhibit the behavior described by Popper in his challenge to conventional quantum mechanics. Popper rejected this behavior on the grounds that it was unphysical because it relied on observer knowledge as a causative agent. We offer an interpretation in which the behavior arises simply out of the mode properties of an entangled system. In this interpretation the observer knowledge reveals in which mode an excitation occurs, but does not affect future behavior as asserted by Popper. We also discuss the relation of our system to the quantum eraser.

Hoshang Heydari

Yanhua H. Shih

From the point of view of classical theory and our everyday experience, quantum phenomena are surprising and the concepts of quantum mechanics are incomprehensible. Since the beginning of quantum theory scientists questioned its very basic concepts, such as locality, reality, and complementarity, and proposed gedankenexperiments , or thought experiments, to probe its foundations. In the light of new optical technology we have been able to realize some of these experiments. This chapter will focus on three of them: (1) EPR-Bohm-Bell correlation and Bell’s inequality; (2) Scully’s quantum eraser; (3) Popper’s experiment. The results of these experiments are very interesting. On one hand, the experimental observations confirm the predictions of EPR-Bell, Scully, and Popper. On the other hand, the calculations from quantum theory perfectly agree with the experimental data. Moreover, apparently, the experimental observations do not lead to any “violations” of the principles of quantum mechanics. One important conclusion we may draw from these optical tests is that all the observations are the results of multi-photon interference: a group of photons interferes with the group itself at distance. The nonlocal multi-photon interference phenomena may never be understood in classical theory, however, it is legitimate in quantum mechanics. The superposition principle of quantum theory supports the superposition of multi-photon amplitudes, whether the photons are entangled or randomly grouped and despite the distances between these individual photodetection events. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

F.J. Duarte

Y.-H. Kim, Yanhua H. Shih

Summary form only given. In early 1930's, Karl Popper, a metaphysical realist, proposed a thought experiment to support his realistic interpretation of quantum mechanics, which shared the same goal of the EPR gedankenexperiment. Based on the same EPR two-particle entangled state, Popper asked: if the precise position of particle 2 is known due to the precise measurement of the position for its entangled twin particle 1, does particle 2 experience a greater uncertainty in its momentum? This question has been ignored for many years. One may not like Popper's philosophy of quantum mechanics; however, his question is closely related to an important problem in recent hot applications: what one can predict for the remaining parts of an entangled state if one of the subsystems is measured alone? We have realized Popper's experiment with the use of entangled two-photon source of spontaneous parametric down conversion. We conclude from this experiment: in an entangled two-particle system, the precise knowledge of the position of a particle, which is determined by the two-particle entanglement, does not necessarily produce an uncertainty in its momentum.