Question for understanding photon entanglement

In summary, the experiment described involves polarizing a string of photons vertically, creating two streams of vertically polarized entangled photon pairs, and sending one photon from each pair to point A and the other to point B. At point A, all photons encounter a polarizer filter set at 45 degrees clockwise, while at point B, the photons are divided into two streams and encounter polarizer filters at 45 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise. The statistical results of this experiment will be matched correlations 50% of the time, as the difference between the angles at points A and B is always 45 degrees. This can be compared to flipping a coin.
  • #1
Philosifur
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Photon Entanglement Question
Polarize a string of photons vertically. Make the polarized photons into two streams of vertically polarized entangled photon pares. One photon of each pare will go to point A and the other will go to point B. All photons that arrive at point A will encounter a polarizer filter set at 45 degrees clockwise with a photon detector after the filter. The photons arriving at point B will have a small longer path length with will delay the photon reaching the planarization filter by a few microseconds. The photons arriving at point B will be divided into two streams, where half will encounter a polarizer filter 45 degrees clockwise and the other half will encounter a polarizer filter 45 degrees counterclockwise. A photon detector will follow each polarizer filter. What will the statistical results be?
 
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  • #2
Philosifur said:
Photon Entanglement Question
Polarize a string of photons vertically. Make the polarized photons into two streams of vertically polarized entangled photon pares. One photon of each pare will go to point A and the other will go to point B. All photons that arrive at point A will encounter a polarizer filter set at 45 degrees clockwise with a photon detector after the filter. The photons arriving at point B will have a small longer path length with will delay the photon reaching the planarization filter by a few microseconds. The photons arriving at point B will be divided into two streams, where half will encounter a polarizer filter 45 degrees clockwise and the other half will encounter a polarizer filter 45 degrees counterclockwise. A photon detector will follow each polarizer filter. What will the statistical results be?

Welcome to PhysicsForums, Philosifur!

Polarization entangled photon pairs - by definition - cannot be vertically polarized. They must have an undefined polarization which is either the same or orthogonal (crossed). Which they will be is dependent on the process by which they were created.

However, your experiment still can be used to generate correlations between the 2 streams. They will be matched 50% of the time, i.e. no correlation. That is because the difference between the 2 angles (A and B) is always 45 degrees whether B is 45 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise. The formula for matches in that case is cos^2(45 degrees) = .50 which is the same as flipping a coin.
 

What is photon entanglement?

Photon entanglement is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where two or more photons become connected in a way that their states are dependent on each other, even when separated by large distances.

How does photon entanglement occur?

Photon entanglement can occur when two or more photons are created or interact in a way that their quantum states become correlated. This can happen through processes such as spontaneous parametric down-conversion or quantum interference.

What are the potential applications of photon entanglement?

Photon entanglement has potential applications in quantum computing, secure communication, and quantum teleportation. It can also be used to study fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics and test theories such as Bell's inequality.

How is photon entanglement different from classical correlations?

Classical correlations occur when two particles have a shared history that determines their properties, while entanglement occurs when two particles become connected in a way that their properties are dependent on each other regardless of their past interactions. Entanglement is a purely quantum phenomenon with no classical counterpart.

Can photon entanglement be observed or measured?

Yes, photon entanglement can be observed and measured through various methods such as quantum state tomography or Bell tests. These methods allow for the detection of correlations between entangled photons, confirming their entanglement.

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