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On the Paradoxical Aspects of New Quantum Experiments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2022

Lev Vaidman
Lev Vaidman*
Affiliation:
Tel-Aviv University
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Extract

I shall discuss two recently suggested quantum experiments. These experiments lead to paradoxical situations. I will argue that in the framework of a particular Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum theory the paradoxes do not arise.

The first experiment is the “interaction-free measurement” (Elitzur and Vaidman 1993). The experimental group at Innsbruck headed by Prof. Zeilinger is working now on its realization. Before describing the experiment let me discuss a general question: “How do we know that there is an object in a region of space?”

The simplest case is when the object itself causes some physical changes outside the region:

  • i) The object is charged, so there is a field outside. We can measure this field.

  • ii) The object yields a potential outside. Aharonov and Bohm have taught us that potential even without field leads to a measurable effect.

  • iii) The objects radiates photons or other particles.

Type
Part VI. Quantum Mechanics and Cosmology
Information
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association , Volume 1994 , Issue 1: Volume One: Contributed Papers 1994 , 1994 , pp. 210 - 217
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

1

It is a pleasure to thank Yakir Aharonov and Philip Pearle for stimulating discussions. The research was supported in part by grant 425/93-1 of the Basic Research Foundation (administered by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities). Send reprint requests to the author, Physics Department, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978 ISRAEL; e-mail: vaidman@ccsg.tau.ac.il.

References

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