Ruling out Higher-Order Interference from Purity Principles (original) (raw)

Why interference phenomena do not capture the essence of quantum theory

2021

Quantum interference phenomena are widely viewed as posing a challenge to the classical worldview. Feynman even went so far as to proclaim that they are the only mystery and the basic peculiarity of quantum mechanics. Many have also argued that such phenomena force us to accept a number of radical interpretational conclusions, including: that a photon is neither a particle nor a wave but rather a schizophrenic sort of entity that toggles between the two possibilities, that reality is observer-dependent, and that systems either do not have properties prior to measurements or else have properties that are subject to nonlocal or backwards-in-time causal influences. In this work, we show that such conclusions are not, in fact, forced on us by the phenomena. We do so by describing an alternative to quantum theory, a statistical theory of a classical discrete field (the ‘toy field theory’) that reproduces the relevant phenomenology of quantum interference while rejecting these radical int...

On the ongoing experiments looking for higher-order interference: What are they really testing?

arXiv: Quantum Physics, 2016

The existence of higher than pairwise quantum interference in the set-up, in which there are more than two slits, is currently under experimental investigation. However, it is still unclear what the confirmation of existence of such interference would mean for quantum theory -- whether that usual quantum mechanics is merely a limiting case of some more general theory or whether that some assumption of quantum theory taken as a fundamental one does not actually hold true. The present paper tries to understand why quantum theory is limited only to a certain kind of interference.

Ruling Out Multi-Order Interference in Quantum Mechanics

Science, 2010

Quantum mechanics and gravitation are two pillars of modern physics. Despite their success in describing the physical world around us, they seem to be incompatible theories. There are suggestions that one of these theories must be generalized to achieve unification. For example, Born's rule, one of the axioms of quantum mechanics could be violated. Born's rule predicts that quantum interference, as shown by a double slit diffraction experiment, occurs from pairs of paths. A generalized version of quantum mechanics might allow multi-path, i.e. higher order interferences thus leading to a deviation from the theory. We performed a three slit experiment with photons and bounded the magnitude of three path interference to less than 10 -2 of the expected twopath interference, thus ruling out third and higher order interference and providing a bound on the accuracy of Born's rule. Our experiment is consistent with the postulate both in semi-classical and quantum regimes.

Some interference experiments and quantum concepts.-II

1976

Continuamos con nuestro intento de demostrar la razones de nuestra inconformidad con la interpretacione de Mecanica Cwintica sobre los fen6menos de interferencia y difracci6n dadas pOl' las E cuelas de "Copenhagen" y .. tatistical". En e te articulo proponemo que el principio de uperposici6n e acepte como una realidad fi ica, no como una construcci6n matematica proyectada para obtener re u ILados y se debe e cudriiiar hasta el illtimo para averiguar us limites en el reino Cuantico.

Quantum Mechanics as a Classical Theory XII: Diffraction and Interference

2008

In this paper we will be concerned with the explanation of the interference and diffraction patterns observed as an outcome of the Young double slit experiment. We will show that such explanation may be given only in terms of a corpuscular theory, which has been our approach since the first paper of this series. This explanation will be accomplished with an extension we make here of the domain of applicability of the Born-Sommerfeld rules that we derived in paper XI of this series. 1

Quantum interference with slits' revisited

European Journal of Physics, 2011

] has presented a straightforward technique employing the Dirac formalism to calculate single- and double-slit interference patterns. He claims that no reference is made to classical optics or scattering theory and that his method therefore provides a purely quantum mechanical description of these experiments. He also presents his calculation as if no approximations are employed. We show that he implicitly makes the same approximations found in classical treatments of interference and that no new physics has been introduced. At the same time, some of the quantum mechanical arguments Marcella gives are, at best, misleading.

Quantum Interference, Quantum Theory of Measurement, and (In) completeness of Quantum Mechanics

Foundations of physics, 1998

The new techniques and ideas in quantum interferometry with neutrons, photons, atoms, electrons, and Bose condensates that fluorished in the last two decades have influenced in a decisive way the thinking and the research in the foundations and interpretation of quantum mechanics. The controversies existing among different schools on the reality of matter waves of quantum theory, the postulates of quantum measurement theory, and the (in)completeness of quantum mechanics have to be approached now in a new way. Our argumentation follows the spirit of the Paris school.``I t now becomes a task of theoretical physics to build models and theories of single events, and a task of experimental physics to record more of single events.''

Se p 20 10 “ Quantum Interference with Slits ” Revisited

2017

Marcella has presented a straightforward technique employing the Dirac formalism to calculate singleand double-slit interference patterns. He claims that no reference is made to classical optics or scattering theory and that his method therefore provides a purely quantum mechanical description of these experiments. He also presents his calculation as if no approximations are employed. We show that he implicitly makes the same approximations found in classical treatments of interference and that no new physics has been introduced. At the same time, some of the quantum mechanical arguments Marcella gives are, at best, misleading. PACS: 3.65.–w, 03.65Ca, 3.65.TA, 01.70.+w

10 “Quantum Interference with Slits ” Revisited

2010

Marcella has presented a straightforward technique employing the Dirac formalism to calculate single-and double-slit interference patterns. He claims that no reference is made to classical optics or scattering theory and that his method therefore provides a purely quantum mechanical description of these experiments. He also presents his calculation as if no approximations are employed. We show that he implicitly makes the same approximations found in classical treatments of interference and that no new physics has been introduced. At the same time, some of the quantum mechanical arguments Marcella gives are, at best, misleading.