Delayed Choice for Quantum Mechanics

Science ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 315 (5814) ◽  
pp. 909b-909b
Author(s):  
Michael Silberstein ◽  
W.M. Stuckey ◽  
Timothy McDevitt

The main thread of chapter 4 introduces some of the major mysteries and interpretational issues of quantum mechanics (QM). These mysteries and issues include: quantum superposition, quantum nonlocality, Bell’s inequality, entanglement, delayed choice, the measurement problem, and the lack of counterfactual definiteness. All these mysteries and interpretational issues of QM result from dynamical explanation in the mechanical universe and are dispatched using the authors’ adynamical explanation in the block universe, called Relational Blockworld (RBW). A possible link between RBW and quantum information theory is provided. The metaphysical underpinnings of RBW, such as contextual emergence, spatiotemporal ontological contextuality, and adynamical global constraints, are provided in Philosophy of Physics for Chapter 4. That is also where RBW is situated with respect to retrocausal accounts and it is shown that RBW is a realist, psi-epistemic account of QM. All the relevant formalism for this chapter is provided in Foundational Physics for Chapter 4.


1988 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-114
Author(s):  
O. E. Rössler

Abstract A new experiment in the foundations of quantum mechanics is proposed. The existence of correlated photons -first seen by Wheeler -can be taken as a hint to devise a ‘‘double-wing’’ delayed choice experiment in Wheeler’s sense. A path choice (polarization choice) measurement made on the one side should then block an interference type measurement made on the other side (‘‘distant choice’’). A precondition for the combined measurement to work in theory is that the correlated photons used are of the ‘‘prepolarized’’ (Selleri) rather than the ‘‘unpolarized’’ (Böhm) type. A first EPR experiment involving prepolarized photons was recently performed by Alley and Shih. It may be used as a partial experiment within the proposed experiment.


2001 ◽  
Vol 56 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 202-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilki Kim ◽  
Günter Mahler

AbstractWe study for a composite quantum system with a quantum Turing architecture the temporal non-locality of quantum mechanics by using the temporal Bell inequality, which will be derived for a discretized network dynamics by identifying the subsystem indices with (discrete) parameter time. However, the direct “observation” of the quantum system will lead to no violation of the temporal Bell inequality and to consistent histories of any subsystem. Its violation can be demonstrated, though, for a delayedchoice measurement


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Kastner

It is pointed out that a slight variation on the Wheeler Delayed Choice Experiment presents the same challenge to orthodox quantum mechanics as Maudlin-type contingent absorber experiments present to the Transactional Interpretation (TI). Therefore, the latter cannot be used as a basis for refutation of TI.


Entropy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Michael B. Heaney

The conventional explanation of delayed-choice experiments appears to violate our causal intuition at the quantum level. I reanalyze these experiments using time-reversed and time-symmetric formulations of quantum mechanics. The time-reversed formulation does not give the same experimental predictions. The time-symmetric formulation gives the same experimental predictions but actually violates our causal intuition at the quantum level. I explore the reasons why our causal intuition may be wrong at the quantum level, suggest how conventional causation might be recovered in the classical limit, propose a quantum analog to the classical block universe viewpoint, and speculate on implications of the time-symmetric formulation for cosmological boundary conditions.


Author(s):  
Michael B. Heaney

The conventional explanation of delayed-choice experiments seems to violate our causal intuition. This apparent violation is caused by a misinterpretation of the conventional formulation of quantum mechanics. I reanalyze these experiments using advanced and time-symmetric formulations of quantum mechanics. All three formulations give the same experimental predictions, but the advanced and time-symmetric formulations violate our causal intuition that effects only happen after causes. I explore reasons why our causal intuition may be wrong at the quantum level. I also suggest how conventional causation might be recovered in the classical limit, and speculate on cosmological boundary conditions.


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