Experimental demonstration of quantum pigeonhole paradox

Ming-Cheng Chen; Chang Liu; Yi-Han Luo; He-Liang Huang; Bi-Ying Wang; Xi-Lin Wang; Li Li; Nai-Le Liu; Chao-Yang Lu; Jian-Wei Pan

doi:10.1073/pnas.1815462116

Experimental demonstration of quantum pigeonhole paradox

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Jan 29;116(5):1549-1552. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1815462116. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Authors

Ming-Cheng Chen^{1

2}, Chang Liu^{1

2}, Yi-Han Luo^{1

2}, He-Liang Huang^{1

2}, Bi-Ying Wang^{1

2}, Xi-Lin Wang^{1

2}, Li Li^{1

2}, Nai-Le Liu^{1

2}, Chao-Yang Lu^{3

2}, Jian-Wei Pan^{3

2}

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Branch, National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Shanghai 201315, China.
² Chinese Academy of Sciences Centre for Excellence and Synergetic Innovation Centre in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
³ Shanghai Branch, National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Shanghai 201315, China; cylu@ustc.edu.cn pan@ustc.edu.cn.

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate that when three single photons transmit through two polarization channels, in a well-defined pre- and postselected ensemble, there are no two photons in the same polarization channel by weak-strength measurement, a counterintuitive quantum counting effect called the quantum pigeonhole paradox. We further show that this effect breaks down in second-order measurement. These results indicate the existence of the quantum pigeonhole paradox and its operating regime.

Keywords: quantum paradox; single photons; weak measurement.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't