Photons can be separated from its polarization!:

Photons can be separated from its polarization!:

Science

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Subscribersonhouse
Fast and Curious

slatington, pa, usa

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26 Nov 13

http://phys.org/news/2013-11-physicists-quantum-cheshire-cats-paradoxes.html

This carries weird to another level!

The photon goes one way and the polarization goes on another path entirely.

I can see how the photon, a bundle of electromagnetic energy propagating in that field and so forth but the POLARIZATION? How can it possibly PROPAGATE? And they say the same thing can happen to electrons and so forth. Is it safe to say the polarization travels at the speed of light?

PDI
Standard memberPaul Dirac II

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26 Nov 13

Strange indeed.

Some of us will remember Yakir Aharonov from our quantum theory classes, in connection with the Aharonov-Bohm solenoid interference effect. I'm a bit surprised he is still alive.

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Subscribersonhouse
Fast and Curious

slatington, pa, usa

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26 Nov 13

Originally posted by Paul Dirac II
Strange indeed.

Some of us will remember Yakir Aharonov from our quantum theory classes, in connection with the Aharonov-Bohm solenoid interference effect. I'm a bit surprised he is still alive.
What is that?

PDI
Standard memberPaul Dirac II

Joined
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26 Nov 13

Originally posted by sonhouse
What is that?
The double-slit experiment is done with a solenoid that can be switched on and off. Outside the solenoid the E & B fields are null, so classically the charged particles going through the slits should not be affected by the on/off status of the solenoid. But the vector potential A is nonzero outside the solenoid, affecting the phases of the particles differently depending on whether they pass right or left of the solenoid--thereby shifting the interference pattern when the solenoid switch is flipped.