The physics of 2 ≠ 1 + 1
Links to Files
Author/Creator
Author/Creator ORCID
Date
Type of Work
Department
Program
Citation of Original Publication
Shih, Yanhua. “The Physics of 2 ≠ 1 + 1.” Frontiers of Physics in China 2, no. 2 (2007): 125–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11467-007-0020-9.
Rights
This item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
Abstract
One of the most surprising consequences of quantum mechanics is the entanglement of two or more distant particles. In an entangled EPR two-particle system, the value of the momentum (position) for neither single subsystem is determined. However, if one of the subsystems is measured to have a certain momentum (position), the other subsystem is determined to have a unique corresponding value, despite the distance between them. This peculiar behavior of an entangled quantum system has surprisingly been observed experimentally in two-photon temporal and spatial correlation measurements, such as “ghost” interference and “ghost” imaging. This article addresses the fundamental concerns behind these experimental observations and to explore the nonclassical nature of two-photon superposition by emphasizing the physics of 2 ≠ 1 + 1.
