On the superposition principle in interference experiments

TL;DR

This paper derives an analytic formula for the Sorkin parameter to quantify deviations from the superposition principle in interference experiments, providing a practical tool for theory-experiment comparisons in classical and quantum wave systems.

Contribution

It introduces a new analytic expression for the Sorkin parameter, enabling easier assessment of superposition principle violations in interference phenomena.

Findings

Excellent agreement between the analytic formula and previous numerical results.

The formula applies to classical wave and quantum Schrödinger systems.

Facilitates comparison between theory and future interference experiments.

Abstract

The superposition principle is usually incorrectly applied in interference experiments. This has recently been investigated through numerics based on Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) methods as well as the Feynman path integral formalism. In the current work, we have derived an analytic formula for the Sorkin parameter which can be used to determine the deviation from the application of the principle. We have found excellent agreement between the analytic distribution and those that have been earlier estimated by numerical integration as well as resource intensive FDTD simulations. The analytic handle would be useful for comparing theory with future experiments. It is applicable both to physics based on classical wave equations as well as the non-relativistic Schrodinger equation.