Collective behavior in quantum interference: an alternative superposition principle

Abstract

An interferometer in which all of its components are treated as quantum bodies is examined with the standard interpretation and with a model in which its uncoupled spatially separated components act collectively. These models utilize superposition principles that differ when applied to systems composed of three or more bodies. Interferometric disparities between them involving frequency shifts and recoil are shown to be difficult to measure. More pronounced discrepancies involve correlated interference. The collective model is shown to provide a missing connection between quantum and semiclassical theories. Scattering from an entangled state, which cannot be divided into disjoint parts, is discussed in relation to collective recoil. Collective scattering is shown to be a viable alternative to the standard model, thereby providing insight into constructing tests of the superposition principle in systems with three or more bodies.

Threshold in Quantum Correlated Interference for a Particle Interacting with Two Scatterers

“…Therefore, rather than recoiling from an individual scatterer, the particle could in effect scatter from the mass of the entangled scatterer system. [24] L thermal c , proportional to the visibility function, for this artificial scatterer of mass 2M then decreases by a factor of 1∕ √ 2 from that of one scatterer of mass M. This is apparent in Figure 3 by choosing a point on the upper trace and transforming its horizontal component by a factor of 1∕ √ 2, thereby reducing its coherence length, which is proportional to 1∕ √ M, to one proportional to 1∕ √ 2M. The transformed point then falls on the lower trace.…”