An x-ray quantum eraser setup for time-energy complementarity

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel x-ray quantum eraser setup that demonstrates time-energy complementarity by controlling interference patterns through which-way information marking and erasure in nuclear scattering.

Contribution

It introduces the first theoretical design of an x-ray quantum eraser exploiting time-energy complementarity in nuclear forward scattering.

Findings

Which-way information can be marked with polarization states.

Interference fringes reappear after erasing which-way information.

Two schemes using nuclear resonant scattering are proposed.

Abstract

A new quantum eraser setup exploiting for the first time the time-energy complementarity relation in the x-ray regime is investigated theoretically. Starting point is the interference process between x-ray quanta driving two nuclear hyperfine transitions in a nuclear forward scattering setup. We show that which-way information can be obtained by marking the scattering paths with orthogonal polarization states, thus leading to the disappearance of the interference pattern. In turn, erasure of the which-way information leads to the reappearance of the interference fringes. We put forward two schemes using resonant scattering off nuclear targets and design which-way marking procedures to realize the quantum eraser setup for x-ray quanta.