Oxford University Press eBooks

What is Quantum Interference?

Gershon Kurizki, Goren Gordon

Published Apr 16, 2020• 0 citations

Abstract

Henry seeks to to evade his foe, Eve, by controlling the phase of his superposition state. With this control, Henry can choose where to be or not to be, by having his two waves interfere with the same phase, thereby reinforcing each other, or with opposite phases, resulting in his two waves extinguishing each other. The historical debate on quantum interference and its competing interpretations is reviewed. The spin, an internal rotation of a quantum particle, which constitutes a two-state quantum system, is beneficial for understanding quantum interference and underlies a variety of applications, from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantum information (QI). Quantum interference allows an object to coexist in states of “being” and “non-being” at a given time. Such coexistence and QI logic contradict the basic dichotomy between being and nothingness postulated 2,500 years ago by Parmenides, yet they resonate with the teachings of the Buddhist thinker Nagarjuna.

DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198787464.003.0003

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