Exotic looped trajectories of photons in three-slit interference

Magaña-Loaiza OS, De Leon I, Mirhosseini M, Fickler R, Safari A, Mick U, McIntryre B, Banzer P, Rodenburg B, Leuchs G, Boyd RW (2016)

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2016

Journal

Nature Communications Nature Publishing Group: Nature Communications

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

Book Volume: 7

Article Number: 13987

DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13987

Open Access Link: http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13987

Abstract

The validity of the superposition principle and of Born's rule are well-accepted tenants of quantum mechanics. Surprisingly, it has been predicted that the intensity pattern formed in a three-slit experiment is seemingly in contradiction with the most conventional form of the superposition principle when exotic looped trajectories are taken into account. However, the probability of observing such paths is typically very small, thus rendering them extremely difficult to measure. Here we confirm the validity of Born's rule and present the first experimental observation of exotic trajectories as additional paths for the light by directly measuring their contribution to the formation of optical interference fringes. We accomplish this by enhancing the electromagnetic near-fields in the vicinity of the slits through the excitation of surface plasmons. This process increases the probability of occurrence of these exotic trajectories, demonstrating that they are related to the near-field component of the photon's wavefunction.

Authors with CRIS profile

Uwe Mick Lehrstuhl für Experimentalphysik (Optik) Peter Banzer Lehrstuhl für Experimentalphysik (Optik) Gerhard Leuchs Lehrstuhl für Experimentalphysik (Optik)

Additional Organisation(s)

Graduiertenkolleg 1896/2 In situ Mikroskopie mit Elektronen, Röntgenstrahlen und Rastersonden

Involved external institutions

University of Rochester (UR) US United States (USA) (US) Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) MX Mexico (MX) University of Ottawa CA Canada (CA) Princeton University US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Magaña-Loaiza, O.S., De Leon, I., Mirhosseini, M., Fickler, R., Safari, A., Mick, U.,... Boyd, R.W. (2016). Exotic looped trajectories of photons in three-slit interference. Nature Communications, 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13987

MLA:

Magaña-Loaiza, Omar S, et al. "Exotic looped trajectories of photons in three-slit interference." Nature Communications 7 (2016).

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