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Abstract
For a particle travelling through an interferometer, the trade-off between the available which-way information and the interference visibility provides a lucid manifestation of the quantum mechanical wave-particle duality. Here we analyse this relation for a particle possessing an internal degree of freedom such as spin. We quantify the trade-off with a general inequality that paints an unexpectedly intricate picture of wave-particle duality when internal states are involved. Strikingly, in some instances which-way information becomes erased by introducing classical uncertainty in the internal degree of freedom. Furthermore, even imperfect interference visibility measured for a suitable set of spin preparations can be sufficient to infer absence of which-way information. General results are illustrated with a proof-of-principle single-photon experiment
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Authors (4)
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Konrad Banaszek
- University of Warsaw Faculty of Physics
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M Karpiński
- University of Warsaw Faculty of Physics
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Czesław Radzewicz
- University of Warsaw Faculty of Physics
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Full text
- Publication version
- Accepted or Published Version
- DOI:
- Digital Object Identifier (open in new tab) 10.1038/ncomms3594
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Details
- Category:
- Articles
- Type:
- artykuł w czasopiśmie wyróżnionym w JCR
- Published in:
-
Nature Communications
no. 4,
pages 1 - 7,
ISSN: 2041-1723 - Language:
- English
- Publication year:
- 2013
- Bibliographic description:
- Banaszek K., Horodecki P., Karpiński M., Radzewicz C.: Quantum mechanical which-way experiment with an internal degree of freedom// Nature Communications. -Vol. 4, nr. 2594 (2013), s.1-7
- DOI:
- Digital Object Identifier (open in new tab) 10.1038/ncomms3594
- Verified by:
- Gdańsk University of Technology
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