Nature Photonics ( IF 32.3 ) Pub Date : 2019-09-02 , DOI: 10.1038/s41566-019-0509-0 Kai Wang , Qian Xu , Shining Zhu , Xiao-song Ma
Wave–particle duality epitomizes the counterintuitive character of quantum physics. A striking illustration is the quantum delayed-choice experiment, which is based on Wheeler’s classic delayed-choice gedanken experiment, but with the addition of a quantum-controlled device enabling wave-to-particle transitions. Here, we realize a quantum delayed-choice experiment in which we control the wave and the particle states of photons and particularly the phase between them, thus directly establishing the created quantum nature of the wave–particle. We generate three-photon entangled states and inject one photon into a Mach–Zehnder interferometer embedded in a 186-m-long two-photon Hong–Ou–Mandel interferometer. The third photon is sent 141 m away from the interferometers and remotely prepares a two-photon quantum gate according to independent active choices under Einstein locality conditions. We realize transitions between wave and particle states in both classical and quantum scenarios, and therefore tests of the complementarity principle that go fundamentally beyond earlier implementations.
中文翻译:
延迟选择实验中的量子波-粒子叠加
波粒二象性体现了量子物理学的反直觉特性。一个引人注目的例子是量子延迟选择实验,它基于Wheeler的经典延迟选择gedanken实验,但是增加了一个量子控制的设备,该设备可以实现波到粒子的跃迁。在这里,我们实现了量子延迟选择实验,其中我们控制了光子的波和粒子状态,尤其是它们之间的相位,从而直接建立了波粒子的量子性质。我们生成三光子纠缠态,并将一个光子注入嵌入186米长的两光子Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉仪中的Mach-Zehnder干涉仪中。第三个光子被发送到距离干涉仪141 m的地方,并根据爱因斯坦局部条件下的独立主动选择,远程准备了一个双光子量子门。我们在经典和量子场景中都实现了波态和粒子态之间的转换,因此对互补原理的测试从根本上超出了早期的实现。