General Wave Properties. Interference

Narciso N. Garcia, Arthur C. Damask, Steven A. Schwarz

Dongyang Wang, Junjie Wu, Yizhi Wang +4 more

The wave–particle duality relation derived by Englert sets an upper bound of the extractable information from wave and particle properties in a two-path interferometer. Surprisingly, previous studies demonstrated that the introduction of a quantum beamsplitter in the interferometer could break the limitation of this upper bound, due to interference between wave and particle states. Along the other line, a lot of efforts have been made to generalize this relation from the two-path setup to the N-path case. Thus, it is an interesting question that whether a quantum N-path beamsplitter can break the limitation as well. This paper systemically studies the model of a quantum N-path beamsplitter, and finds that the generalized wave–particle duality relation between interference visibility and path distinguishability is also broken in certain situations. We further study the maximal extractable information’s reliance on the interference between wave and particle properties, and derive a quantitative description. We then propose an experimental methodology to verify the break of the limitation. Our work reflects the effect of quantum superposition on wave–particle duality, and exhibits a new aspect of the relation between visibility and path distinguishability in N-path interference. Moreover, it implies the observer’s influence on wave–particle duality.

Narciso N. Garcia, Arthur C. Damask

E. Bagán, John Calsamiglia, János A Bergou +1 more

Abstract Wave-particle duality relations express the fact that knowledge about the path a particle took suppresses information about its wave-like properties, in particular, its ability to generate an interference pattern. Recently, duality relations in which the wave-like properties are quantified by using measures of quantum coherence have been proposed. Quantum coherence can be generalized to a property called group asymmetry. Here we derive a generalized duality relation involving group asymmetry, which is closely related to the success probability of discriminating between the actions of the elements of a group. The second quantity in the duality relation, the one generalizing which path information, is related to information about the irreducible representations that make up the group representation.

Philip F. Schewe

Ralph F. Baierlein

In making some experiments on the fringes of colors accompanying shadows, I have found so simple and so demonstrative a proof of the general law of the interference of two portions of light, which I have already endeavored to establish, that I think it right to lay before the Royal Society a short statement of the facts which appear to me so decisive. Thomas Young, Bakerian Lecture, November 24, 1803 Interference defined In chapter 3, we framed the question, can we account for the behavior of light by supposing that light is wave motion of some kind? So far, the logic of our response has been of this form: we asked experimentally, do waves have property X that we know light possesses? For “property X ,” we took the existence of reflection the equality of the angles of reflection and incidence the existence of refraction, and Snell's law, in the sense that, in refraction, the ratio of sines is independent of the angle of incidence. Each time, we could answer, yes, waves do have this property X that we know light possesses. Beyond these tests, we found that the wave theory's prediction for the index of refraction – namely, a specific ratio of wave speeds – was resoundingly confirmed by Michelson's measurements of. Things are going well for a wave theory of light. The time has come to shift the perspective and to change the logic of the testing.