The Quantum Self-eraser

Abstract

A scheme for an atomic beam quantum self-eraser is presented. The proposal is based on time reversal invariance on a quantum optical Ramsey fringes experiment, where a realization of complementarity for atomic coherence can be achieved. It consists of two high finesse resonators that are pumped and probed by the same atom. This property relates quantum erasing with time reversal symmetry, allowing for a full quantum erasing of the which-way information stored in the cavity fields. The outlined scheme also prepares and observes a non-local state in the fields of the resonators: a coherent superposition between correlated states of macroscopically separated quantum systems. The proposed scheme emphasizes the role of entanglement swapping in delayed-choice experiments. Finally, we show that the quantum self-eraser violates temporal Bell inequalities and analyze the relation between this violation and the erasability of which-way information.