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On Superposition and Entanglement of Polarized Photons Without Hidden Variables

Eugen Muchowski

Published Feb 18, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Polarized photons have properties that can be explained, among others, by their indistinguishability. This includes superposition and entanglement. We propose that the superposition state can be understood as the entirety of all mixtures of indistinguishable perpendicularly polarized photon beams. The photon beams, whose polarization correspond to the position of the polarizer, are filtered out by selection using a polarizer. There are no nonlocal effects with the entangled photons. This is because the physical states of the photons are defined before each measurement. The model replicates the predictions of quantum mechanics for entangled photons and also explains entanglement swapping and teleportation. The superposition of indistinguishable photon beams can be experimentally demonstrated using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. This explains how the polarization of the input state reappears at the output of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

DOI
10.20944/preprints202502.1283.v1

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Polarized photons have properties that can be explained, among others, by their indistinguishability. This includes superposition and entanglement. We propose that the superposition state can be understood as the entirety of all mixtures of indistinguishable perpendicularly polarized photon beams. The photon beams, whose polarization correspond to the position of the polarizer, are filtered out by selection using a polarizer. There are no nonlocal effects with the entangled photons. This is because the physical states of the photons are defined before each measurement. The model replicates the predictions of quantum mechanics for entangled photons and also explains entanglement swapping and teleportation. The superposition of indistinguishable photon beams can be experimentally demonstrated using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. This explains how the polarization of the input state reappears at the output of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer.
Abstract The superposition states, allowed by quantum theory, are dramatically diverse with respect to classical states and represent the true quantum states. By using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer we experimentally show how a single photon in a polarization superposition state can produce interference. The experimental setup includes a strongly attenuated laser source, polarizing beam splitters, half-waveplates, polarizers and single-photon detectors. The experimental activity has been performed with high-school students and teachers in several different contexts.
This paper continues to explore a possible physical interpretation of the wavefunction but with a focus on the wavefunction(s) of a single photon in the Mach-Zehnder experiment. It focuses, in particular, on how one might visualize linear and circular polarization states for photon waves, and how beam splitters may or may not split a circular polarization state into two independent linear polarization states or – vice versa – recombine two linear polarization states into one circular state. As such, it attempts to provide a more refined approach to the rather crude hidden-variable theory for explaining quantum-mechanical interference that was presented in a previous paper (http://vixra.org/pdf/1811.0005v1.pdf). The outcome is the same, however: the theory does not work. Hence, this paper again shows the limit of such physical interpretations, thereby confirming the intuition behind Bell’s Theorem.
Entangled quantum systems can connect to the environment via a Bell state measurement. This applies, for example, to teleportation and entanglement swapping. Although the results are well understood, it is not entirely clear whether they involve nonlocal action or whether they are predetermined. This can best be decided from a model, provided it predicts the key measurement results. Models based on the fact that the partners of an entangled pair have the same value of a statistical parameter cannot be applied here. This is because the partner particles of the resulting entangled states after a teleportation or an entanglement swapping never had contact before. The question then is, what connects entangled photons? Therefore, this paper presents a local realistic model that reproduces the quantum mechanical predictions for expectation values with polarization measurements, but is not based on shared statistical parameters. Instead, the coupling of the entangled particles is based on initial conditions and conservation of spin angular momentum. The model refutes Bell's theorem and also explains teleportation and entanglement swapping in a local way. The manuscript is thus a step forward toward a complete theory describing quantum physical reality as thought possible by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen.