54,625 research outputs found
Extending Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment to Space
Gedankenexperiments have consistently played a major role in the development
of quantum theory. A paradigmatic example is Wheeler's delayed-choice
experiment, a wave-particle duality test that cannot be fully understood using
only classical concepts. Here, we implement Wheeler's idea along a
satellite-ground interferometer which extends for thousands of kilometers in
Space. We exploit temporal and polarization degrees of freedom of photons
reflected by a fast moving satellite equipped with retro-reflecting mirrors. We
observed the complementary wave-like or particle-like behaviors at the ground
station by choosing the measurement apparatus while the photons are propagating
from the satellite to the ground. Our results confirm quantum mechanical
predictions, demonstrating the need of the dual wave-particle interpretation,
at this unprecedented scale. Our work paves the way for novel applications of
quantum mechanics in Space links involving multiple photon degrees of freedom.Comment: 4 figure
Wave-Particle duality at the Planck scale: Freezing of neutrino oscillations
A gravitationally-induced modification to de Broglie wave-particle duality is
presented. At Planck scale, the gravitationally-modified matter wavelength
saturates to a few times the Planck length in a momentum independent manner. In
certain frameworks, this circumstance freezes neutrino oscillations in the
Planck realm. This effect is apart, and beyond, the gravitational red-shift. A
conclusion is drawn that in a complete theory of quantum gravity the notions of
``quantum'' and ``gravity'' shall carry new meanings -- meanings, that are yet
to be deciphered from theory and observations in their entirety.Comment: Published versio
Dual Farrell measures of efficiency
This paper is a revised version of an old 1982 paper by the author, partially published in Spanish as Muro and Vera (1983) and cited for example in Fare (1985). The usual disclaimer appliesThis paper provides several definitions of efficiency measures in the price space. Economic and scale aspects of inefficiency are considered to give empirical content to the measurement of efficiency when the production technology is described by cost functions models. It shows, in the Hanoch’s symmetric duality approach, how the new definitions preserve the ranking of efficiency, are formally dually symmetric to the ones defined in the input space, and both are established with respect to different descriptions of the same technology. In addition, graphical procedures are utilized to make an insight into the achievement of polar technologies from primal ones and into the relationship between Shephard’s lemma and Roy’s identity
The Principle of Locality. Effectiveness, fate and challenges
The Special Theory of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics merge in the key
principle of Quantum Field Theory, the Principle of Locality. We review some
examples of its ``unreasonable effectiveness'' (which shows up best in the
formulation of Quantum Field Theory in terms of operator algebras of local
observables) in digging out the roots of Global Gauge Invariance in the
structure of the local observable quantities alone, at least for purely massive
theories; but to deal with the Principle of Local Gauge Invariance is still a
problem in this frame. This problem emerges also if one attempts to figure out
the fate of the Principle of Locality in theories describing the gravitational
forces between elementary particles as well. Spacetime should then acquire a
quantum structure at the Planck scale, and the Principle of Locality is lost.
It is a crucial open problem to unravel a replacement in such theories which is
equally mathematically sharp and reduces to the Principle of Locality at larger
scales. Besides exploring its fate, many challenges for the Principle of
Locality remain; among them, the analysis of Superselection Structure and
Statistics also in presence of massless particles, and to give a precise
mathematical formulation to the Measurement Process in local and relativistic
terms; for which we outline a qualitative scenario which avoids the EPR
Paradox.Comment: 36 pages. Survey partially based on a talk delivered at the Meeting
"Algebraic Quantum Field Theory: 50 years", Goettingen, July 29-31, 2009, in
honor of Detlev Buchholz. Submitted to Journal of Mathematical Physic
A "fair sampling" perspective on an apparent violation of duality
In the event in which a quantum mechanical particle can pass from an initial
state to a final state along two possible paths, the duality principle states
that "the simultaneous observation of wave and particle behavior is
prohibited". [M. O. Scully, B.-G. Englert, and H. Walther. Nature, 351:111-116,
1991.] emphasized the importance of additional degrees of freedom in the
context of complementarity. In this paper, we show how the consequences of
duality change when allowing for biased sampling, that is, postselected
measurements on specific degrees of freedom of the environment of the two-path
state. Our work contributes to the explanation of previous experimental
apparent violations of duality [R. Menzel, D. Puhlmann, A. Heuer, and W. P.
Schleich. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 109(24):9314-9319, 2012.] and opens up the
way for novel experimental tests of duality.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
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