Feynman referred to interference as “the only mystery,” and we continue to pursue that idea here by examining the theory behind it with heightened scrutiny. Three interpretations are described: The standard model, Feynman’s sum-over-paths, and Einstein’s photon model. The standard model bases its arguments on the wave function and its subsequent collapse. The sum-over-paths model is equivalent to the standard model, but it explains interference by avoiding use of the wave function and its conceptual problems due to collapse. The Einstein model is the most challenging for it is revolutionary and intuitively demanding. We critique the three models by studying their treatment of polarized light. In Part II, the interference of low intensity light will be discussed.
Feynman referred to interference as “the only mystery,” and we continue to pursue that idea here by examining the theory behind it with heightened scrutiny. Three interpretations are described: The standard model, Feynman’s sum-over-paths, and Einstein’s photon model. The standard model bases its arguments on the wave function and its subsequent collapse. The sum-over-paths model is equivalent to the standard model, but it explains interference by avoiding use of the wave function and its conceptual problems due to collapse. The Einstein model is the most challenging for it is revolutionary and intuitively demanding. We critique the three models by studying their treatment of polarized light. In Part II, the interference of low intensity light will be discussed.
Young’s double slit experiments revived the wave theory of light. The standard interpretation is that the light behaves as waves before and after passing through the double slit. Feynman called the double slit experiment the only mystery in quantum mechanics. By placing a convex lens at different positions, we have shown: (1) Near the diaphragm, light behaves as photons and produces a non-interference pattern; near the screen, the photons produce an interference pattern; (2) The non-interference pattern evolves to the orthogonal interference pattern gradually in the same experiment; (3) The convex lens stops the further evolution. It is heuristic for study the nature of light by showing all of three different kinds of patterns on the screen simultaneously. For this purpose, in this article, we setup three paths. The light is divided into three portions, each portion propagates along one path. Then inserting three lenses to different Zones of different paths. Experiments show that two non-interference patterns and interference pattern simultaneously emerge on the same screen. The experiments: (1) challenge the wave theories of light; (2) violate Bohr’s complementarity principle; (3) provide profound phenomena for further development of optics and for study of the nature of light; (4) suggest that a complete theory should be able to simultaneously interpret the non-interference pattern, the interference pattern, and the evolution from the non-interference to the interference pattern in the same experiment.
Young’s double slit experiments revived the wave theory of light. The standard interpretation is that the light behaves as waves before and after passing through the double slit. Feynman called the double slit experiment the only mystery in quantum mechanics. By placing a convex lens at different positions, we have shown: (1) Near the diaphragm, light behaves as photons and produces a non-interference pattern; near the screen, the photons produce an interference pattern; (2) The non-interference pattern evolves to the orthogonal interference pattern gradually in the same experiment; (3) The convex lens stops the further evolution. It is heuristic for study the nature of light by showing all of three different kinds of patterns on the screen simultaneously. For this purpose, in this article, we setup three paths. The light is divided into three portions, each portion propagates along one path. Then inserting three lenses to different Zones of different paths. Experiments show that two non-interference patterns and interference pattern simultaneously emerge on the same screen. The experiments: (1) challenge the wave theories of light; (2) violate Bohr’s complementarity principle; (3) provide profound phenomena for further development of optics and for study of the nature of light; (4) suggest that a complete theory should be able to simultaneously interpret the non-interference pattern, the interference pattern, and the evolution from the non-interference to the interference pattern in the same experiment.
Probability and interference According to Feynman, single-particle interference is ‘the only mystery’ of quantum theory (Feynman, Leighton and Sands 1965, ch. 1, p. 1). Feynman considered an experiment in which particles are fired, one at a time, towards a screen with two holes labelled 1 and 2. With both holes open, the distribution P 12 of particles at the backstop displays an oscillatory pattern of bright and dark fringes. If P 1 is the distribution with only hole 1 open, and P 2 is the distribution with only hole 2 open, then experimentally it is found that P 12 ≠ P 1 + P 2 . According to the argument given by Feynman (as well as by many other authors), this result is inexplicable by ‘classical’ reasoning. By his presentation of the two-slit experiment (as well as by his development of the path-integral formulation of quantum theory), Feynman popularised the idea that the usual probability calculus breaks down in the presence of quantum interference, where it is probability amplitudes (and not probabilities themselves) that are to be added. As pointed out by Koopman (1955), and by Ballentine (1986), this argument is mistaken: the probability distributions at the backstop – P 12 , P 1 and P 2 – are conditional probabilities with three distinct conditions (both slits open, one or other slit closed), and probability calculus does not imply any relationship between these. Feynman's argument notwithstanding, standard probability calculus is perfectly consistent with the two-slit experiment.
Young’s double slit experiments revived the wave theory of light. The standard interpretation is that the light behaves as waves before and after passing through the double slit. Feynman called the double slit experiment the only mystery in quantum mechanics. By placing a convex lens at different positions, we have shown: (1) Near the diaphragm, light behaves as photons and produces a non-interference pattern; near the screen, the photons produce an interference pattern; (2) The non-interference pattern evolves to the orthogonal interference pattern gradually in the same experiment; (3) The convex lens stops the further evolution. It is heuristic for study the nature of light by showing all of three different kinds of patterns on the screen simultaneously. For this purpose, in this article, we setup three paths. The light is divided into three portions, each portion propagates along one path. Then inserting three lenses to different Zones of different paths. Experiments show that two non-interference patterns and interference pattern simultaneously emerge on the same screen. The experiments: (1) challenge the wave theories of light; (2) violate Bohr’s complementarity principle; (3) provide profound phenomena for further development of optics and for study of the nature of light; (4) suggest that a complete theory should be able to simultaneously interpret the non-interference pattern, the interference pattern, and the evolution from the non-interference to the interference pattern in the same experiment.
Young’s double slit experiments revived the wave theory of light. The standard interpretation is that the light behaves as waves before and after passing through the double slit, and the superposition of waves produces the interference pattern. Feynman called the double slit experiment the only mystery in quantum mechanics. In this article, we experimentally show the novel universal phenomena: (1) the light is particles, but waves: within macro-distance from a diaphragm, the light rays produce non-interference patterns; while near the screen, the photons produce orthogonal interference patterns; (2) the non-interference patterns evolve to the orthogonal interference patterns gradually in the same experiment; (3) the evolution of the patterns cannot be interpreted by either classic optics or the quantum optics; (4) the non-interference patterns and the orthogonal interference patterns can show on the screen simultaneously; (5) The convex lens stops the further evolution. The experiments: (1) challenge the classical optics and quantum optics; (2) violate both Bohr’s complementarity principle and wave particle duality; (3) provide profound phenomena for developing optics and for studying the nature of light; (4) suggest that a complete theory should be able to consistently interpret all phenomena, including the non-interference pattern, the interference pattern, and the evolution from the non-interference to the interference pattern in the same wave experiment.
Young’s double slit experiments revived the wave theory of light. The standard interpretation is that the light behaves as waves before and after passing through the double slit, and the superposition of waves produces the interference pattern. Feynman called the double slit experiment the only mystery in quantum mechanics. In this article, we experimentally show the novel universal phenomena: (1) within macro-distance from the diaphragm, the light rays behave as photons and produce non-interference patterns; while near the screen, the photons produce interference patterns; (2) The non-interference patterns evolve to the interference patterns gradually in the same classical wave experiment; (3) the light is photons before and after passing through the double slit; (4) The convex lens stops the further evolution. The experiments: (1) challenge the wave theories of the light; (2) violate both Bohr’s complementarity principle and wave particle duality; (3) provide profound phenomena for developing optics and for studying the nature of light; (4) suggest that a complete theory should be able to consistently interpret all phenomena, including the non-interference pattern, the interference pattern, and the evolution from the non-interference to the interference pattern in the wave experiment; (5) show a new mystery that photons, as particles, distribute as waves.