Realistic Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics and Encounter-Delayed-Choice Experiment

Abstract

A realistic interpretation(REIN) of wave function in quantum mechanics is briefly presented in this work. In REIN, the wave function of a microscopic object is just its real existence rather than a mere mathematical description. Quantum object can exist in disjoint regions of space which just as the wave function distributes, travels at a finite speed, and collapses instantly upon a measurement. The single photon interference in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is analyzed using REIN. In particular, we proposed and experimentally implemented a generalized delayed-choice experiment, the encounter-delayed-choice(EDC) experiment, in which the second beam splitter is inserted at the encounter of the two sub-waves from the two arms. In the EDC experiment, the front parts of wave functions before the beam splitter insertion do not interfere and show the particle nature, and the back parts of the wave functions will interfere and show a wave nature. The predicted phenomenon is clearly demonstrated in the experiment, and supports the REIN idea.