A Common Fallacy in Quantum Mechanics: Why Delayed Choice Experiments do NOT imply Retrocausality

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ellerman
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Delayed Choice

scholarly journals Causal Intuition and Delayed-Choice Experiments

Entropy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Michael B. Heaney
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Classical Limit ◽  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Quantum Level ◽  
Delayed Choice ◽  
Symmetric Formulation ◽  
Quantum Analog ◽  
Level I ◽  
Block Universe

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.

scholarly journals Causal Intuition and Delayed-Choice Experiments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Heaney
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Classical Limit ◽  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Quantum Level ◽  
Conventional Formulation ◽  
Delayed Choice ◽  
Apparent Violation ◽  
Level I

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.

scholarly journals Физика интерференции квантовых частиц

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (11) ◽  
pp. 2130
Author(s):  
С.В. Ганцевич ◽  
В.Л. Гуревич
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Quantum Correlation ◽  
Physical Mechanism ◽  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Particle Trajectories ◽  
Quantum Particles ◽  
Delayed Choice ◽  
Quantum Language

The bra+ket quantum language introduced earlier by the authors for the explanation of quantum correlation at macroscopic distances permit to understand the physical mechanism of the interference of separate quantum particles without the concepts of the transformation of a wave into a particle or vice versa as well as to avoid the assertions of retrocausality, nonlocality, instantaneous interaction or other similar phenomena allegedly inherent to quantum mechanics. Using the bra+ket approach we consider the experiments with two and three slits, the delayed choice experiments and some more complicated interference experiments with changing parameters the results of which caused the vivid many year discussion with adverse conclusions on particle trajectories in the interferometers.

Relational Blockworld and Quantum Mechanics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Silberstein ◽  
W.M. Stuckey ◽  
Timothy McDevitt
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Measurement Problem ◽  
Quantum Nonlocality ◽  
Global Constraints ◽  
Quantum Superposition ◽  
Delayed Choice ◽  
Counterfactual Definiteness ◽  
Main Thread ◽  
Block Universe ◽  
Contextual Emergence

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.

Neutron delayed choice experiments

Physica B+C ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 137 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 266-269
Author(s):  
Herbert J. Bernstein
Keyword(s):  
Choice Experiments ◽  
Delayed Choice

Delayed Choice with Correlated Photons

1988 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-114
Author(s):  
O. E. Rössler
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Choice Experiment ◽  
Foundations Of Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Type A ◽  
The Other ◽  
Delayed Choice ◽  
Epr Experiment ◽  
The One

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.

scholarly journals Delayed-choice Measurement and Temporal Nonlocality

2001 ◽  
Vol 56 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 202-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilki Kim ◽  
Günter Mahler
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Quantum System ◽  
Direct Observation ◽  
Bell Inequality ◽  
Network Dynamics ◽  
Consistent Histories ◽  
Discrete Parameter ◽  
Delayed Choice ◽  
Composite Quantum System ◽  
Non Locality

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

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