Experimental Realization of Wheeler’s Delayed-Choice Gendanken Experiment in Science, 315, 5814, pp. 966-968, February 6, 2007 [1st ed. ORIGINAL WRAPS. PRISTINE CONDITION. NO MAILING LABEL. 1st SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION OF JOHN WHEELER’S FAMOUS DELAYED CHOICE QUANTUM EXPERIMENT].
2007. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPS OF THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION OF JOHN WHEELER’S FAMOUS DELAYED CHOICE QUANTUM EXPERIMENT. In this beautifully clean realization of Wheeler’s 1978 proposal, the authors, Alain Aspect et al., used laser light to create a delayed-choice double-slit experiment. Aspect and his team “used an ultracold helium atom to do a similar delayed-choice interference experiment. With both experiments the results were exactly as predicted by quantum theory” (Koberlein, Real and Unreal, 2015).
As the authors write in the paper’s abstract: “Wave-particle duality is strikingly illustrated by Wheeler's delayed-choice gedanken experiment, where the configuration of a two-path interferometer is chosen after a single-photon pulse has entered it: Either the interferometer is closed (that is, the two paths are recombined) and the interference is observed, or the interferometer remains open and the path followed by the photon is measured. We report an almost ideal realization of that gedanken experiment with single photons allowing unambiguous which-way measurements. The choice between open and closed configurations, made by a quantum random number generator, is relativistically separated from the entry of the photon into the interferometer” (Aspect, p. 966).
“Double-slit delayed choice quantum experiments are a version of double-slit experiments with light and matter particles that demonstrate the superposition and entanglement characteristics of quantum mechanics. In theory, light and other particles are superpositions of particles and waves until measured, at which time they act like either waves or particles. Waves pass through both slits of a double-slit experiment and cause interference. Particles travel through one slit only and do not interfere. These experiments show how a measurement, even after the particle or wave passes through the slit, determines whether wave interference occurs at that slit or not.
“John Wheeler made the first proposal for a delayed choice double-slit experiment in 1978. The experiment involved a removable detector screen behind the slits, and two telescopes behind the screen— one aimed at one slit and one at the other. The movable screen was far enough behind the slits so that it could be removed after the light passed through the slit(s) but before it arrived at the screen (hence the name “delayed choice”). According to quantum theory, if the screen remains in place, it should record interference, indicating that the light passed through both slits as a wave. If the screen is raised, the light passes through one of the slits and is detected by only one of the telescopes” (History of Physics: The Wenner Collection).
In 2007 and presented in the paper offered here, Wheeler’s experiment was finally successfully carried out, fully demonstrating the predicted result.
NOTE: We separately a number of other important works on delayed choice quantum experiments: (1) Peruzzo, Alberto; Shadbolt, Peter J; Brunner, Nicolas; Popescu, Sandu; O’Brien, Jeremy L. WITHBOUND Kaiser, Florian “A Quantum Delayed Choice Experiment” by Alberto Peruzzo, Peter J. Shadbolt, Nicolas Brunner, Sandu Popescu, and Jeremy L. O’Brien (Peruzzo et al, pp. 634-637) WITH “Entanglement-Enabled Delayed-Choice Experiment” (Kaiser, pp. 637-640) in Science 338 No. 6107, November 2, 2012). (2) “Quantum-enhanced Positioning and Clock Sychronization” (Nature, 412, pp. 417-419, July 26, 2001). (3) “Time and the Quantum: Erasing the Past and Impacting the Future” by Aharonov, Yakir; Zubairy, M. Suhail (Science 307 No. 5711, pp. 875–879, February 11, 2005). Item #1171
CONDITION & DETAILS: Complete first edition in original wraps. 4to. 10.5 x 8.25 inches. No mailing label. Pristine inside and out. Fine.
Price: $400.00