dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaExperimental realization of Wheeler's delayed-choice GedankenExperiment
| Authors | Vincent Jacques, E. Wu, Frédéric Grosshans, François Treussart, Philippe Grangier, Alain Aspect, Jean-François Roch |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/0610241 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0610241 |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.1136303 |
| Journal | Science 315, 5814 (2007) 966 |
Abstract
The quantum "mystery which cannot go away" (in Feynman's words) of wave-particle duality is illustrated in a striking way by Wheeler's delayed-choice GedankenExperiment. In this experiment, the configuration of a two-path interferometer is chosen after a single-photon pulse has entered it : either the interferometer is \textit{closed} (\textit{i.e.} the two paths are recombined) and the interference is observed, or the interferometer remains \textit{open} and the path followed by the photon is measured. We report an almost ideal realization of that GedankenExperiment, where the light pulses are true single photons, allowing unambiguous which-way measurements, and the interferometer, which has two spatially separated paths, produces high visibility interference. The choice between measuring either the 'open' or 'closed' configuration is made by a quantum random number generator, and is space-like separated -- in the relativistic sense -- from the entering of the photon into the interferometer. Measurements in the closed configuration show interference with a visibility of 94%, while measurements in the open configuration allow us to determine the followed path with an error probability lower than 1%.
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"abstract": "The quantum \"mystery which cannot go away\" (in Feynman\u0027s words) of\nwave-particle duality is illustrated in a striking way by Wheeler\u0027s\ndelayed-choice GedankenExperiment. In this experiment, the configuration of a\ntwo-path interferometer is chosen after a single-photon pulse has entered it :\neither the interferometer is \\textit{closed} (\\textit{i.e.} the two paths are\nrecombined) and the interference is observed, or the interferometer remains\n\\textit{open} and the path followed by the photon is measured. We report an\nalmost ideal realization of that GedankenExperiment, where the light pulses are\ntrue single photons, allowing unambiguous which-way measurements, and the\ninterferometer, which has two spatially separated paths, produces high\nvisibility interference. The choice between measuring either the \u0027open\u0027 or\n\u0027closed\u0027 configuration is made by a quantum random number generator, and is\nspace-like separated -- in the relativistic sense -- from the entering of the\nphoton into the interferometer. Measurements in the closed configuration show\ninterference with a visibility of 94%, while measurements in the open\nconfiguration allow us to determine the followed path with an error probability\nlower than 1%.",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/0610241",
"authors": [
"Vincent Jacques",
"E. Wu",
"Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Grosshans",
"Fran\u00e7ois Treussart",
"Philippe Grangier",
"Alain Aspect",
"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Roch"
],
"categories": [
"quant-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1126/science.1136303",
"journal_ref": "Science 315, 5814 (2007) 966",
"title": "Experimental realization of Wheeler\u0027s delayed-choice GedankenExperiment",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0610241"
},
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