Query on use of prism in delayed choice quantum eraser experiment

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the use of a prism in schematic diagrams of the Delayed Choice Quantum Eraser experiment, specifically addressing concerns about the accuracy of the representation of light paths and adherence to Snell's law. Participants explore the implications of these representations on the understanding of the experiment.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether the prism in the diagram accurately represents the path of light, suggesting it may contravene Snell's law.
  • Another participant agrees that the diagram seems to be a 'bodge' and notes that similar inaccuracies appear in other diagrams, leading to confusion.
  • A different participant humorously suggests that accuracy regarding Snell's law is often overlooked in informal diagram presentations.
  • Concerns are raised about additional inaccuracies in the ray paths through the Glan-Thomson prism, indicating that there may be multiple errors in the diagrams.
  • One participant mentions finding an alternative diagram that appears to be correct, although they express uncertainty regarding copyright issues.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express disagreement regarding the accuracy of the prism representation and the overall reliability of the diagrams, with no consensus reached on the correctness of the representations discussed.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the diagrams may not accurately reflect the actual experimental setup, highlighting potential limitations in the visual representations used in various sources.

Steve4Physics
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TL;DR
Query on use of prism in delayed choice quantum eraser experiment
Hi. I’ve seen a number of schematic diagrams for the Delayed Choice Quantum Eraser experiment. Some include a prism to make the two idler photon paths diverge.

However, the prism is shown refracting the ‘idler rays’ in a way which contravenes Snell’s law. E.g. see prism marked ‘PS’ (not the Glan-Thompson prism) here:
Eraser.png


(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed-choice_quantum_eraser)

Is this a mistake or have I misunderstood something? Thanks.
 
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Steve4Physics said:
However, the prism is shown refracting the ‘idler rays’ in a way which contravenes Snell’s law. E.g. see prism marked ‘PS’ (not the Glan-Thompson prism) here:
Hmmm. I doubt the prism in the diagram is supposed to show the actual path of light in the experiment.
 
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Drakkith said:
Hmmm. I doubt the prism in the diagram is supposed to show the actual path of light in the experiment.
Yes. It seems that part of the diagram is a bit of a 'bodge'. But the rest of the diagram seems OK. But I've found similar diagrams showing the same thing, so it's very puzzling.
 
No one is worried about Snell's law when they're throwing shapes and lines into powerpoint. :wink:
 
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Drakkith said:
No one is worried about Snell's law when they're throwing shapes and lines into powerpoint. :wink:
I guess so. But it's much more than a minor misjudgement of angles.

And I noticed another mistake in the diagram. The ray paths through the Glan-Thomson prism (just after the SPDC non-linear crystal) are wrong.

Maybe I'm just being too picky!

With a bit of searching (using Google Images) I've now found a diagram which appears correct. I’m not sure about copyright so here's just the link:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...-delayed-choice-quantum-eraser-experiment.ppm
 
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