A simplified scheme for testing complementarity and realizing quantum eraser

Yonatan Abranyos

Dah-Wei Chiou, Hsiu-Chuan Hsu

Ki-Young Cho, Jaewoo Noh

Zheng Shi-Biao

We propose a scheme to test Bohr complementarity with cold ions confined in a linear trap. In the scheme two ions are first prepared in a maximally entangled state via the excitation by laser fields. Then one ion of the correlated pair is driven by a resonant laser. The path information of this ion to reach one definite state is recorded on the other ion and thus the probability of finding the first ion in a definite state does not exhibit interference. The associated quantum eraser can also be realized.

Ghenadie N. Mardari

Guang-Liang Li

The principle of complementarity is one of the cornerstones of quantum theory. The aim of this study was to advance our understanding of complementarity by analyzing the role of delayed choice and quantum erasers in two-slit experiments, and by proposing experiments for verifying the analysis. The analysis is based on models consisting of measurable spaces and probability measures involved in the experiments. The main findings are as follows: (a) The complementarity principle manifests itself in such a way that wave and particle behaviors cannot be simultaneously observed almost surely with respect to any single, fixed measure. (b) Described by different measures, complementary properties can coexist in the same experimental setup. (c) Which-way information will not preclude or erase interference fringes. (d) Delayed choice and quantum erasers are irrelevant to testing complementarity. (e) It is possible for us to know through which slit each quantum object passed almost surely with respect to the measure corresponding to the slit while the interference pattern is intact. Based on the experiments analyzed, realizable experiments are proposed for verifying the above results.