Related papers: Proposed experiment with Rydberg atoms to test the…
The Young double-slit interference pattern produced by quantum objects, like photons, that move through a double-slit is regarded, by the conventional Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, as the evidence of the wave-like…
An electric analogue of the longitudinal Stern-Gerlach matter-wave interferometer has been realized for atoms in Rydberg states with high principal quantum number, $n$. The experiments were performed with He atoms prepared in coherent…
The postulate of the collapse of the wave function stands between the microscopic, quantum world, and the macroscopic world. Because of this intermediate position, the collapse process cannot be examined with the formalism of the quantum…
The quantum wave-function of a massive particle with small initial uncertainties (consistent with the uncertainty relation) is believed to spread very slowly, so that the dynamics is deterministic. This assumes that the classical motions…
Some modified two-slit interference experiments claim to demonstrate a violation of Bohr's complementarity principle. A typical such experiment is theoretically analyzed using wave-packet dynamics. The flaw in the analysis of such…
The problem of measurement in quantum mechanics is that the quantum particle in the course of evolution, as described by the linear Schrodinger equation, exists in all of its possible states, but in measuring, the particle is always…
Scattering of matter waves through slits has been explored using the Feynman Path Integral formalism. We explicitly plot the near-zero probability densities to analyse the behaviour near the slit. Upon doing so, intriguing patterns emerge,…
Quantum foundations are still unsettled, with mixed effects on science and society. By now it should be possible to obtain consensus on at least one issue: Are the fundamental constituents fields or particles? As this paper shows,…
A succinct statement and justification of all the principles necessary to understand and evaluate interpretations of quantum mechanics is given. These principles provide strong constraints on interpretations. They imply the particle-like…
The possibility of an atomic detection of gravitational waves on earth is considered. The combination of extremely high lifetimes and resulting small radiative transition probabilities with rapidly growing interaction strength for Rydberg…
We study the possibility of giving a classical interpretation to quantum projective measurements for a particle described by a pure Gaussian state whose Wigner function is non-negative. We analyze the case of a projective measurement which…
The traditional analysis of the basic version of the double-slit experiment leads to the conclusion that wave-particle duality is a fundamental fact of nature. However, such a conclusion means to imply that we are not only required to have…
Interference is fundamental to wave dynamics and quantum mechanics. The quantum wave properties of particles are exploited in metrology using atom interferometers, allowing for high-precision inertia measurements [1, 2]. Furthermore, the…
The Bloch wavefunction leads either to mathematically impossible consequences or suggests that the ground state energy is a function of size and shape when the geometry of large crystals is considered in detail. It is incompatible with the…
In an recent work with the title "Asking Photons Where They Have Been", Danan et al. experimentally demonstrate an intriguing behavior of photons in an interferometer [Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 240402 (2013)]. In their words: "The photons tell…
Two well-known conceptual conundrums of quantum mechanics referred to as instantaneous action-at-a-distance and inseparable wave-particle character are tackled using the principle of least action. Since any measurement is an action, it is…
We investigate the Autler-Townes splitting for Rydberg atoms dressed with linearly polarized microwave radiation, resonant with generic $S_{1/2}\leftrightarrow{P}_{1/2}$ and $S_{1/2}\leftrightarrow{P}_{3/2}$ transitions. The splitting is…
According to the Born rule, the probability density in quantum theory is determined by the square of the wave function. A generally accepted derivation of this rule has not yet been proposed. In the given work, a simple physical picture is…
Quantum systems exhibit particle-like or wave-like behaviour depending on the experimental apparatus they are confronted by. This wave-particle duality is at the heart of quantum mechanics, and is fully captured in Wheeler's famous delayed…
A fundamental principle of quantum theory, clearly manifested in the two-slit experiment, is that for any alternatives that cannot be distinguished by measurement physical predictions are obtained by summation of their amplitudes. In…