John Wheeler devised a gedanken experiment in which a piece of apparatus can be altered just before the arrival of particle, and this ``delayed choice'' can, seemingly, alter the quantum state of the particle at a much earlier time, long before the choice is made.
A slightly different gedanken experiment, which exhibits the same conceptual difficulty, is analyzed using the techniques of consistent history quantum theory. The idea that the future influences the past disappears when proper account is taken of the diversity of possible quantum descriptions of the world, and their mutual compatibility or incompatibility.
A critical note on some of the existing proposals for performing the "delayed choice" experiment is placed. By abandoning the original idea and intention, some modern theoretical proposals and experimental evidence are simply incorrectly understood/interpreted. In effect, the Complementarity principle remains practically intact.
The delayed choice experiments are a collection of experiments where the counterintuitive laws of quantum mechanics are manifested in a very striking way. Although the delayed choice experiments can be very accurately described with the standard framework of quantum optics, a more didactical and intuitive explanation seems not to have been given so far. In this note, we fill that gap.
By slight modifying of the delayed-choice experiment, it is argued that the quantum wave function must be interpreted as real physical entity; With this interpretation in mind, multiple least action paths due to uncertainty leads us to new perspective on the Compton wavelength and the uncertainty principle itself.
A realizable delayed-choice quantum eraser, using a modified Mach-Zehnder (MZ) interferometer and polarization entangled photons, is theoretically analyzed here. The signal photon goes through a modified MZ interferometer, and the polarization of the idler photon provides path information for the signal photon. The setup is very similar to the delayed-choice quantum eraser experimentally studied by the Vienna group. In the class of quantum erasers with discrete output states, it is easy to see that the delayed mode leaves no choice for the experimenter. The which-way information is always eras…
It is pointed out that a slight variation on the Wheeler Delayed Choice Experiment presents the same challenge to orthodox quantum mechanics as Maudlin-type contingent absorber experiments present to the Transactional Interpretation (TI). Therefore, the latter cannot be used as a basis for refutation of TI.
Quantum superposition is the cornerstone of quantum mechanics, where interference fringes originate in the self-interference of a single photon via indistinguishable photon characteristics. Wheeler delayed-choice experiments have been extensively studied for the wave-particle duality over the last several decades to understand the complementarity theory of quantum mechanics. The heart of the delayed-choice quantum eraser is in the mutually exclusive quantum feature violating the cause-effect relation. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the quantum eraser using coherent photon pairs by the del…
Computer simulation of Wheeler's delayed choice experiment with photons
我们提出了一个惠勒延迟选择实验的计算机模拟模型，该模型是最近报道的一个实验的一对一复制（V. Jacques { \sl et al.}，Science 315，966（2007））。该模型完全基于实验事实，满足爱因斯坦的局部因果关系标准，不依赖于任何量子理论的概念。然而，模拟模型再现了惠勒延迟选择实验的量子理论描述所获得的平均值。我们的结果证明，它是可能的，以粒子的惠勒的延迟选择实验，再现从量子理论计算的平均值，这并不违背常识的描述。
Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment investigates the indeterminacy of wave-particle duality and the role played by the measurement apparatus in quantum theory. Due to the inconsistency with classical physics, it has been generally believed that it is not possible to reproduce the delayed-choice experiment using a hidden variable theory. Recently, it was shown that this assumption was incorrect, and in fact Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment can be explained by a causal two dimensional hidden-variable theory [R. Chaves, G. B. Lemos, and J. Pienaar, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 190401 (2018)]. Here, w…
There is a very common fallacy, here called the separation fallacy, that is involved in the interpretation of quantum experiments involving a certain type of separation such as the: double-slit experiments, which-way interferometer experiments, polarization analyzer experiments, Stern-Gerlach experiments, and quantum eraser experiments. It is the separation fallacy that leads not only to flawed textbook accounts of these experiments but to flawed inferences about retrocausality in the context of "delayed choice" versions of separation experiments.
Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment was conceived to illustrate the paradoxical nature of wave-particle duality in quantum mechanics. In the experiment, quantum light can exhibit either wave-like interference patterns or particle-like anti-correlations, depending upon the (possibly delayed) choice of the experimenter. A variant known as the quantum eraser uses entangled light to recover the lost interference in a seemingly nonlocal and retrocausal manner. Although it is believed that this behavior is incompatible with classical physics, here we show that the observed quantum phenomena can be r…
We propose and experimentally demonstrate a two-fold quantum delayed-choice experiment where wave or particle nature of a superconducting interfering device can be post-selected twice after the interferometer. The wave-particle complementarity is controlled by a quantum which-path detector (WPD) in a superposition of its on and off states implemented through a superconducting cavity. The WPD projected to its on state records which-path information, which manifests the particle nature and destroys the interference associated with wave nature of the system. In our experiment, we can recover the …
It is well known that Wheeler proposed several delayed choice experiments in order to show the impossibility to speak of the way a quantum system behaves before being detected. In a double-slit experiment, when do photons decide to travel by one way or by two ways? Delayed choice experiments seem to indicate that, strangely, it is possible to change the decision of the photons until the very last moment before they are detected. This led Wheeler to his famous sentence: No elementary quantum phenomenon is a phenomenon until it is a registered phenomenon, brought to a close by an irreversible ac…
Wave-particle duality constitutes one of the most intriguing features in quantum physics. A well-known gedanken experiment that provides evidence for this is the Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. 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 device-independent prepare-and-measure scenario. In our work, we experimentally realize this modified version with a deterministic sing…
We construct a quantum bit commitment scheme using a double-slit setup similar to Wheeler's delayed choice experiment. Bob sends photons toward the double-slit, and Alice commits by determining either the slit from which each photon emerges (for $b=0$), or its landing position on a screen (for $b=1$). Since the photon's wave front expands at the speed of light, Alice cannot delay the detection indefinitely, or it would very soon be out of her control no matter how much resources she has.
Quantum systems exhibit particle-like or wave-like behaviour depending on the experimental apparatus they are confronted by. This wave-particle duality is at the heart of quantum mechanics, and is fully captured in Wheeler's famous delayed choice gedanken experiment. In this variant of the double slit experiment, the observer chooses to test either the particle or wave nature of a photon after it has passed through the slits. Here we report on a quantum delayed choice experiment, based on a quantum controlled beam-splitter, in which both particle and wave behaviours can be investigated simulta…
It is demonstrated that 'quantum eraser' (QE) experiments do not erase any information. Nor do they demonstrate retrocausation or 'temporal nonlocality' in their 'delayed choice' form, beyond standard EPR correlations. It is shown that the erroneous erasure claims arise from assuming that the improper mixed state of the signal photon physically prefers either the 'which way' or 'both ways' basis, when no such preference is warranted. The latter point is illustrated through comparison of the QE spatial state space with the spin-1/2 space of particles in the EPR-spin experiment.
Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment delays the decision to observe either the wave or particle behavior of a photon until after it has entered the interferometer, and the quantum delayed-choice experiment provides the possibility of observing the wave and particle behavior simultaneously by introducing quantum control device. We here propose a modified quantum delayed-choice experiment without quantum control or entanglement assistance, in which a photon can be prepared in a wave-particle superposition state and the morphing behavior of wave-to-particle transition can be observed easily. It is…
The delayed-choice quantum eraser has long been a subject of controversy, and has been looked at as being incomprehensible to having retro-causal effect in time. Here the delayed-choice quantum eraser is theoretically analyzed using standard quantum mechanics. Employing Mach-Zehnder interferometer, instead of a conventional two-slit interference, brings in surprising clarity. Some common mistakes in interpreting the experiment are pointed out. It is demonstrated that in the delayed mode there is no which-way information present after the particle is registered on the screen or the final detect…
According to Quantum Mechanics, the particles can exhibit either particle properties or wave properties depending on the experimental set up (wave-particle dualism). A special behavior occurs for a system of two entangled particles 1 and 2 that propagate along two different directions in the space. In such a case, the entangled particle 2 should exhibit either the particle behavior or the wave behavior depending on the kind of measurement that is performed on particle 1 whatever is the actual distance between the two particles. The apparently surprising fact is that the "choice" of what kind o…
The conventional explanation of delayed-choice experiments appears to violate our causal intuition at the quantum level. I reanalyze these experiments using time-reversed and time-symmetric formulations of quantum mechanics. The time-reversed formulation does not give the same experimental predictions. The time-symmetric formulation gives the same experimental predictions but actually violates our causal intuition at the quantum level. I explore the reasons why our causal intuition may be wrong at the quantum level, suggest how conventional causation might be recovered in the classical limit, …
In a delayed-choice quantum eraser, interference fringes are obtained by erasing which-way information after the interfering particle has already been irreversibly detected. Following an introductory review of delayed-choice experiments and quantum erasure, we describe the experimental realization of an optical delayed-choice quantum eraser, suitable for advanced undergraduates, based on polarization-entangled pairs of single photons. In our experiment, the delay of the erasure is implemented using two different setups. The first setup employs an arrangement of mirrors to increase the optical …
The wave-particle duality dates back to Einstein's explanation of the photoelectric effect through quanta of light and de Broglie's hypothesis of matter waves. Quantum mechanics uses an abstract description for the behavior of physical systems such as photons, electrons, or atoms. Whether quantum predictions for single systems in an interferometric experiment allow an intuitive understanding in terms of the particle or wave picture, depends on the specific configuration which is being used. In principle, this leaves open the possibility that quantum systems always either behave definitely as a…
We propose a scheme feasible with current technology to implement a quantum delayed-choice experiment in the realm of cavity QED. Our scheme uses two-level atoms interacting on and off resonantly with a single mode of a high Q cavity. At the end of the protocol, the state of the cavity returns to its ground state, allowing new sequential operations. The particle and wave behavior, which are verified in a single experimental setup, are postselected after the atomic states are selectively detected.
We propose a simple implementation scheme of quantum delayed-choice experiment in linear optical system without initial entanglement resource. By choosing different detecting devices, one can selectively observe the photon's different behaviors after the photon has been passed the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The scheme shows that the photon's wave behavior and particle behavior can be observed with a single experimental setup by postselection, that is, the photon can show the superposition behavior of wave and particle. Especially, we compare the wave-particle superposition behavior and the w…
A realistic interpretation(REIN) of wave function in quantum mechanics is briefly presented in this work. In REIN, the wave function of a microscopic object is just its real existence rather than a mere mathematical description. Quantum object can exist in disjoint regions of space which just as the wave function distributes, travels at a finite speed, and collapses instantly upon a measurement. The single photon interference in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is analyzed using REIN. In particular, we proposed and experimentally implemented a generalized delayed-choice experiment, the encounter-…
We describe an experimentally feasible protocol for performing a variant of the quantum delayed-choice experiment with massive objects. In this scheme, a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond driven by microwave fields is dispersively coupled to a massive mechanical resonator. A double-pulse Ramsey interferometer can be implemented with the spin-mechanical setup, where the second Ramsey microwave pulse drives the spin conditioned on the number states of the resonator. The probability for finding the NV center in definite spin states exhibits interference fringes when the mechanical re…
It was pointed out in the first part of this study that EPR-type entanglement is defined by the possibility of performing any of two mutually incompatible distant, i. e.,direct-interaction-free, measurements. They go together under the term 'EPR-type disentanglement'. In this second part, quantum-mechanical insight is gained in the real random delayed-choice erasure experiment of Kim et al. [Kim et al.: Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 1-5 (2000)] by a relative-reality-of- unitarily-evolving-state (RRUES) approach (explained in the first part). Finally, it is shown that this remarkable experiment, which p…
Delayed Choice Phenomena in the Projection Evolution Model
Institute of Computer Science and Mathematics, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University（玛丽亚·居里-斯可多夫斯卡大学计算机科学与数学研究所）；Institute of Physics, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University（玛丽亚·居里-斯可多夫斯卡大学物理研究所）
Motivated by the question, which kind of physical interactions and processes are needed for the production of quantum entanglement, Peres has put forward the radical idea of delayed-choice entanglement swapping. There, entanglement can be "produced a posteriori, after the entangled particles have been measured and may no longer exist". In this work we report the first realization of Peres' gedanken experiment. Using four photons, we can actively delay the choice of measurement-implemented via a high-speed tunable bipartite state analyzer and a quantum random number generator-on two of the phot…
Quantum entanglement is known as a unique feature of quantum mechanics, which cannot be obtained from classical physics. Recently, a coherence interpretation has been conducted for the delayed-choice quantum eraser using coherent photon pairs, where phase-locked symmetric frequency detuning between paired photons plays an essential role for selective measurement-caused nonlocal correlation. Here, a macroscopic version of the nonlocal correlation is presented using orthogonally polarized optical fields in a continuous wave quantum eraser scheme in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). The result…
In a three-particle extension of Wheeler's delayed choice gedanken experiment, the quantum statistics of two particles is undetermined until a third particle is measured. As a function of the measurement result, the particles behave either as bosons or as fermions. The particles are distinguishable if no measurement is performed at all or when the measurement is performed in a rotated basis. The scheme is based on Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger quantum correlations. It can be interpreted more generally as the encryption of maximally entangled states in a larger quantum superposition. The local qu…
Wave-particle duality has become one of the flagships of quantum mechanics. This counter-intuitive concept is highlighted in a delayed choice experiment, where the experimental setup that reveals either the particle or wave nature of a quantum system is decided after the system has entered the apparatus. Here we consider delayed choice experiments from the perspective of device-independent causal models and show their equivalence to a prepare-and-measure scenario. Within this framework, we consider Wheeler's original proposal and its variant using a quantum control and show that a simple class…
Nowadays the most intriguing features of wave particle complementarity of single photon is exemplified by the famous Wheeler's delayed choice experiment in linear optics, nuclear magnetic resonance and integrated photonic device systems. Studying the wave particle behavior in light and matter interaction at single photon level is challenging and interesting, which gives how single photons complement in light and matter interaction. Here, we demonstrate a Wheeler's delayed choice experiment in an interface of light and atomic memory, in which the cold atomic memory makes the heralded single pho…
Institute for Quantum Studies, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University（查普曼大学施密德科学与技术学院量子研究所）；Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California（南加州大学物理与天文学系量子信息技术中心）
Wave-particle duality has long been considered a fundamental signature of the non-classical behavior of quantum phenomena, specially in a delayed choice experiment (DCE), where the experimental setup revealing either the particle or wave nature of the system is decided after the system has entered the apparatus. However, as counter-intuitive as it might seem, usual DCEs do have a simple causal explanation. Here, we take a different route and under a natural assumption about the dimensionality of the system under test, we present an experimental proof of the non-classicality of a DCE based on t…
