Hypothesizing on photon mode of travel in double slit or similar experimental setups

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior of photons in experimental setups involving half-silvered mirrors and double slits, particularly focusing on the implications of measurement and interference patterns. Participants explore concepts related to delayed choice experiments and quantum erasure, examining how the presence of detectors affects interference and the nature of photons as both particles and waves.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether interference disappears if a detector is placed after the photon has passed but before it hits the final detector.
  • Others argue that blocking one arm of the setup does not necessarily eliminate the interference pattern if the block is inserted or removed after the photon has passed.
  • One participant suggests that there is no distinction between a photon hitting the detector and being measured, asserting they are the same event.
  • Hypotheses are proposed regarding the nature of photons, including the idea that a photon becomes a wave that splits or that it exists as both particle and wave simultaneously.
  • Concerns are raised about the ability to measure properties of the wave function that would indicate a "half wave," with some participants asserting that only whole particles can be detected.
  • Questions are posed about the possibility of determining which path a photon took without collapsing the wave function, with skepticism expressed regarding the feasibility of such measurements.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the effects of measurement on interference patterns, with no consensus reached on whether interference disappears under certain conditions. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of the proposed hypotheses about photon behavior.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various experimental setups, including the Mach-Zehnder interferometer and delayed choice quantum eraser, but there is uncertainty about the equivalence of these setups in addressing the conceptual questions posed. The discussion also highlights limitations in the clarity of definitions and assumptions regarding wave-particle duality.

  • #121


sanpkl said:
perhaps there is a "dimension" in addition to time-space, through which quantum mechanics operates? the "probability wave function" operates in that dimension.

when we try to measure a photon's position, the wave function collapses, the photon moves back into the time-space dimension

Your word “perhaps” says it all. We are forced to speculate about what is “really happening” because Quantum Mechanics tells us nothing about how the photon gets through the apparatus.

A quantum experiment consists of the entire apparatus, including the photon and the measuring device, as well as the experimental result. Everything is set up in space-time.

Photon detection is a real event that we do observe. But, we have no evidence for any other dimension that might help us understand “what is really happening” to the photon before it is detected. Any discussion of photon behavior prior to detection is pure speculation.

We do know that the wave function is defined in a Hilbert space. But as far as we know, it is not a part of the experiment; no one has ever observed the wave function “moving through” the apparatus. Nor has anyone observed its collapse when the photon is detected.

Please forgive me for being so harsh, but it does seem futile to suggest explanations that have no verifiable evidence to support them. But, you are not alone. There are lots of other bright people expending much time, effort, and brainpower in such endeavors.

Best wishes.
 

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