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Physica Scripta

Using double slit experiment based on Bohr complementarity principle to transmit information without media transmission from the information source to destination

ChuangRui Liu, HanRui Liu, XinHua Liu

Published Mar 2, 2023• 2 citations

Abstract

Abstract This paper proposes information transmission without media transmission from the information source to destination based on Bohr complementarity principle. When a single photon passes through Young’s double-slit, its particle degree characteristics increase with the path distinguishability increasing. After single photon passes through double-slit, the photons propagation route is divided into two regions, the source region and the destination region. Keep the path distinguishability in the destination region unchanged. Distinguish or not distinguish the path information in the source region. The distribution of photons on each region will be different after single photons pass through double-slit. Use the laser trigger signal on the front optical path to confirm whether the photons detected at the destination region are valid photons, rather than photon information of the source region. Count the percentage of photons falling in the destination region in the photons passing through the double-slit, by pre-synchronizing to make particle degree characteristics of each photon similar in each period of time. This percentage can reveal the photon path distinguishability of the source region. The interference visibility of the fringe formed by valid photons detected at the destination region can achieve the target too.

DOI: 10.1088/1402-4896/acc0e3

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Abstract This paper proposes information transmission without media transmission from the information source to destination based on Bohr complementarity principle. When a single photon passes through Young’s double-slit, its particle degree characteristics increase with the path distinguishability increasing. After single photon passes through double-slit, the photons propagation route is divided into two regions, the source region and the destination region. Keep the path distinguishability in the destination region unchanged. Distinguish or not distinguish the path information in the source region. The distribution of photons on each region will be different after single photons pass through double-slit. Use the laser trigger signal on the front optical path to confirm whether the photons detected at the destination region are valid photons, rather than photon information of the source region. Count the percentage of photons falling in the destination region in the photons passing through the double-slit, by pre-synchronizing to make particle degree characteristics of each photon similar in each period of time. This percentage can reveal the photon path distinguishability of the source region. The interference visibility of the fringe formed by valid photons detected at the destination region can achieve the target too.

Young’s one-dimension-double-slit experiment represents the basic mystery of quantum world and was extended to which-way-1D-double-slit experiment. To explore the mystery, 2D-cross-double-slit apparatuses have been proposed, which consists of more than one double-slits intersecting to each other. In this article, we report which-way-2D-cross-double-slit experiments by detecting which slit of a double-slit of 2D-cross-double-slit apparatus a photon would pass through. The experimental results show that photons passing through the detected double-slit behave as particle, while photons passing through other undetected double-slit(s) distribute as wave in the same experiment with the same apparatus. Namely the particle nature and wave distribution coexist, which violates Bohr’s complementarity principle. We suggest that photon’s “particle nature” is intrinsic, while the term “wave nature” represents a wave-like distribution, which is a consequence of movement of photon as particle. It is a challenge to interpret mathematically those observations consistently.

Young's double slit experiment has often been used to illustrate the concept of complementarity in quantum mechanics. If information can in principle be obtained about the path of the photon, then the visibility of the interference fringes is reduced or even destroyed. This Gedanken experiment discussed by Bohr and Einstein can be realized when the slit is replaced by individual atoms sensitive to the transferred recoil momentum of a photon which "passes through the slit". Early pioneering experiments were done with trapped ions and atom pairs created via photo-dissociation. Recently, it became possible to perform interference experiments with single neutral atoms cooled to the absolute ground state of a harmonic oscillator potential. The slits are now single atoms representing a two-level system, and the excitation in the harmonic oscillator potential is the which-way marker. In this note, we analyze and generalize two recent experiments performed with single atoms and emphasize the different ways they record which-way information.

A recent experiment performed by Afshar et al (2007 Found. Phys. 37 295–305) has been interpreted as a violation of Bohr's complementarity principle between interference visibility and which-path information (WPI) in a two-path interferometer. We have reproduced this experiment, using true single-photon pulses propagating in a two-path wavefront-splitting interferometer realized with a Fresnel's biprism, and followed by a grating with adjustable transmitting slits. The measured values of interference visibility V and WPI, characterized by the distinguishability parameter D , are found to obey the complementarity relation V 2 + D 2 ⩽1. This result demonstrates that the experiment can be perfectly explained by the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Young's 1D-dimension-double-slit experiments represent the basic mystery of quantum world and was extended to which-way-1D-double-slit experiment. To explore the mystery, 2D-cross-double-slit diaphragm have been proposed, which consists of more than one double-slits intersecting to each other at the same spot. In this article, the extended which-way 2D cross-double slit experiments are presented to test the normal interpretation of the which way experiments. The experimental results show that photons passing through the detected double-slit behave as particle, while photons passing through other undetected double-slit(s) distribute as wave in the same experiment with the same diaphragm. Namely the particle nature and wave distribution coexist, which violates Bohr's complementarity principle. It is a challenge to interpret those observations consistently.

I present here a thought experiment which violates the most widely accepted interpretation of quantum mechanics “The Copenhagen Interpretation” and Bohr’s complementarity which says that there is no meaning of the state of a particle until it is observed and the act of observation might change it. The experiment consists of a double slit apparatus which is modified by putting a second double slit apparatus between the source and the original apparatus with certain conditions imposed on both the apparatuses using the facts of interference and diffraction. A striking paradox emerges if we consider the arguments of Bohr’s complementarity, i.e. the photon travels through both the paths simultaneously in a double slit apparatus whenever there is interference. It turns out that this paradox can be resolved only if the photon travels through one path even if interference fringes are visible.

We probe the principle of complementarity by performing a double-slit experiment based on entangled photons created by spontaneous parametric down-conversion from a pump mode in a TEM01-mode. Our setup brings out the need for a careful selection of the signal-idler photon pairs for our study of visibility and distinguishability. Indeed, when the signal photons interfering at the double-slit belong to this double-hump mode we obtain almost perfect visibility of the interference fringes and no "which-slit" information is available. However, when we break the symmetry between the two maxima of the mode by detecting the entangled idler photon, the paths through the slits become distinguishable and the visibility vanishes. It is the mode function of the photons selected by the detection system which decides if interference, or "which-slit" information is accessible in the experiment.