2017/01/31 by Zhi‐Yuan Zhou, Zhi-Yuan Zhou, Zhi‐Han Zhu +13 · 40 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Classical mechanics #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum mechanics #Theoretical physics #Wave function #physics.optics #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.scib.2017.08.024
published in 中国科学通报：英文版 62(17), 1185-1192 · Comments are welcome.12 pages, 5 figures
arxiv created 2017/04/24 · openalex publication_date 2017/09/01 · arxiv updated 2017/09/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Are quantum states real? This most fundamental question in quantum mechanics has not yet been satisfactorily resolved, although its realistic interpretation seems to have been rejected by various delayed-choice experiments. Here, to address this long-standing issue, we present a quantum twisted double-slit experiment. By exploiting the subluminal feature of twisted photons, the real nature of a photon during its time in flight is revealed for the first time. We found that photons' arrival times were inconsistent with the states obtained in measurements but agreed with the states during propagation. Our results demonstrate that wavefunctions describe the realistic existence and evolution of quantum entities rather than a pure mathematical abstraction providing a probability list of measurement outcomes. This finding clarifies the long-held misunderstanding of the role of wavefunctions and their collapse in the evolution of quantum entities.