Subjective nature of path information in quantum mechanics

TL;DR

This paper explores the subjective nature of path information in quantum mechanics, demonstrating that even with full path knowledge, a particle's definite origin cannot be ascribed, challenging classical intuition.

Contribution

It experimentally investigates the complementarity between path information and interference, revealing the subjective interpretation of path information in quantum mechanics.

Findings

Full path information does not guarantee a definite particle origin.

Grouping sources affects the ascription of a particle's physical origin.

Results challenge classical notions of particle trajectories in quantum mechanics.

Abstract

Common sense suggests that a particle must have a definite origin if its full path information is available. In quantum mechanics, the knowledge of path information is captured through the well-established duality relation between path distinguishability and interference visibility. If visibility is zero, high path distinguishability can be achieved, which enables one to determine with high predictive power where the particle originates. We investigate the complementarity between path information and interference visibility through an experiment involving three sources emitting into identical modes. Our findings challenge the classical intuition that a particle can be traced back to its origin through its trajectory when full path information is available. By grouping the crystals in different ways, we demonstrate that it is impossible to ascribe a definite physical origin to the photon pair, even if the emission probability of one individual source is zero and full path information is available. Our results shed new light on the physical interpretation of probability assignment and path information beyond its mathematical meaning and show that the interpretation of path information in quantum mechanics is subjective.