Quantum twisted double-slits experiments: confirming wavefunctions' physical reality

Zhi-Yuan Zhou; Zhi-Han Zhu; Shi-Long Liu; Yin-Hai Li; Shuai Shi; Dong-Sheng Ding; Li-Xiang Chen; Wei Gao; Guang-Can Guo; Bao-Sen Shi

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2017.08.024

Quantum twisted double-slits experiments: confirming wavefunctions' physical reality

Sci Bull (Beijing). 2017 Sep 15;62(17):1185-1192. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2017.08.024. Epub 2017 Sep 1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Wang Da-Heng Collaborative Innovation Center for Science of Quantum Manipulation & Control, Heilongjiang Province & Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Quantum Information, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
² Wang Da-Heng Collaborative Innovation Center for Science of Quantum Manipulation & Control, Heilongjiang Province & Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China; Department of Physics, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China. Electronic address: zhuzhihan@hrbust.edu.cn.
³ Wang Da-Heng Collaborative Innovation Center for Science of Quantum Manipulation & Control, Heilongjiang Province & Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China; Department of Physics and Collaborative Innovation Center for Optoelectronic Semiconductors and Efficient Devices, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
⁴ Wang Da-Heng Collaborative Innovation Center for Science of Quantum Manipulation & Control, Heilongjiang Province & Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China; Department of Physics, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China.
⁵ Wang Da-Heng Collaborative Innovation Center for Science of Quantum Manipulation & Control, Heilongjiang Province & Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Quantum Information, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China. Electronic address: drshi@ustc.edu.cn.

PMID: 36659512
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2017.08.024

Abstract

Are quantum states real? This most fundamental question in quantum mechanics has not yet been satisfactorily resolved, although its realistic interpretation seems to have been rejected by various delayed-choice experiments. Here, to address this long-standing issue, we present a quantum twisted double-slit experiment. By exploiting the subluminal feature of twisted photons, the real nature of a photon during its time in flight is revealed for the first time. We found that photons' arrival times were inconsistent with the states obtained in measurements but agreed with the states during propagation. Our results demonstrate that wavefunctions describe the realistic existence and evolution of quantum entities rather than a pure mathematical abstraction providing a probability list of measurement outcomes. This finding clarifies the long-held misunderstanding of the role of wavefunctions and their collapse in the evolution of quantum entities.

Keywords: Double slits; Orbital angular momentum; Physical reality; Subluminal group velocity; Wavefunctions.