| Student Manual |  One of the most astounding and bewildering depictions of quantum mechanics is the single- particle interference experiment. If a source that emits only one particle (such as photons or electrons) at a time, is used in a classic double slit experiment, an interference patterns will emerge. This pattern is built up over multiple passes of identical particles. Interestingly, the pattern could be switched on and off even after light has emerged from the interferometer. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer is a useful device for exploiting the wave nature of light and observing various aspects of interference. The goal of this experiment is to familiarize students with this kind of an interferometer. We will observe interference of light, and see conditions under which interference can be washed out, and ultimately recovered. |
| Sample Results | Erasure and recovery of which-path information inside a Mach-Zehnder interferometerVariation of intensity pattern with the post-interferometer polarizerVariation of optical intensity with the relative angle between the polarizers placed inside the arms of the interferometerFringes change their visibility as polarizers between the arms of the interferometer change their relative anglesSample data obtained by Shiraz (July 2019) |
| Experiment Code | 2.21 |
| Version | 2018-v1 |
Further Readings and References
- There are no particles, only fieldsAmerican Journal of Physics, A. Hobson, 81, 211, (2013).
- Delayed choice quantum eraser experiment explained,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Z_TIw9InA, (2014).
- Chapter 6Physics of Light and Optics,http://optics.byu.edu/textbook.aspx, J. Peatross and M, Ware, 143-168, (2015).
- Teaching quantum theory in the introductory courseThe Physics Teacher, A. Hobson, 34, 202, (1996).
- Understanding walking the beam,http://laser.physics.sunysb.edu/~simone/mini-project/, S. Agha and D. Minkin, (2007).
- Single photon quantum erasingEuropean Journal of Physics, T.L. Dimitorva and A. Weis, 31, 5, (2010).
- Quantum computing with photonsJournal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular, Optical Physics, S. Barz, 48, 083001, (2015).
- A do-it yourself quantum eraserScientific American, R. Hillmer and P. Kwiat, 90, (May 2007).
