Realization of a causal-modeled delayed-choice experiment using single photons
Shang Yu, Yong-Nan Sun, Wei Liu +6 more
Wave-particle duality constitutes one of the most intriguing features in quantum physics. A well-known gedanken experiment that provides evidence for this is Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer [J. A. Wheeler, in Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Theory, edited by A. R. Marlow (Academic, New York, 1978), pp. 9--48; in Quantum Theory and Measurement, edited by J. A. Wheeler and W. H. Zurek (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1984), pp. 182--213]. Many different versions of delayed-choice experiments have been conducted with both classical and quantum detecting devices. Recently, it was proposed that the delayed-choice experiment could be devised from the perspective of a device-independent prepare-and-measure scenario [R. Chaves et al., Causal Modeling the Delayed-Choice Experiment, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 190401 (2018)]. In our work, we experimentally realize this modified version with a deterministic single-photon source and examine the wave-particle objective in a causal-modeled scheme without the assistance of entanglement, which is achieved by violating the dimension-witness inequalities. Our experiment also provides an intriguing perspective and exhibits the benefits of studying quantum theory from the casual model point of view.
arXiv:1806.03689•Physical Review A•Jul 15, 2019•21 citations