Re: [Phys-l] Complementary principle in jeopardy?

["William Maddox" <maddox@physics.auburn.edu>]

From: WC Maddox

If you are interested in experiments involving The Complementarity Principle
you may also want to read about the Ashfar experiment.

> From Wikipedia: "The Afshar experiment is an optical experiment, devised and
carried out by Shahriar Afshar in 2001, which investigates the principle of
complementarity in quantum mechanics. The result of the experiment, that a
grid of wires can be ignored when both slits are open, is in accordance with
the standard predictions of quantum mechanics; however, it is
controversially claimed to violate complementarity and specifically the
Englert-Greenberger duality relation;[1] others disagree.[2][3][4][5]"

For details see  S. Afshar, E. Flores, K. F. McDonald, E. Knoesel (2007).
"Paradox in wave-particle duality". Foundations of Physics 37 (2): 295-305.
arXiv:quant-ph/0702188. Bibcode 2007FoPh...37..295A.
doi:10.1007/s10701-006-9102-8.  Click on the link after 295-305 to obtain a
PDF version of article.

If you have the time and interest articles in which physicists argue about
the validity, interpretation and significance of the experiment are listed
in the Wikipedia article on the Ashfar experiment.

-----Original Message-----


I suppose some of you have seen these news already about a new Science
article:

<http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-06-quantum-physics-photons-two-slit-interf
erometer.html>

One author states that:

"But mostly, we are all just thrilled to be able to see, in some sense, what
a photon does as it goes through an interferometer, something all of our
textbooks and professors had always told us was impossible."

Interesting! Any comments?

Antti


Antti Savinainen, Ph.D., B.Ed.

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