Observation of a classical cheshire cat in an optical interferometer

Abstract

A recent neutron interferometry experiment claims to demonstrate a paradoxical phenomena dubbed the "quantum Cheshire Cat" \cite{Denkmayr2014}. We have reproduced and extended these results with an equivalent optical interferometer. The results suggest that the photon travels through one arm of the interferometer, while its polarization travels through the other. However, we show that these experimental results belong to the domain where quantum and classical wave theories coincide; there is nothing uniquely quantum about the illusion of this cheshire cat.

4 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (2)

• Experimental joint weak measurement on a photon pair as a probe of Hardy's Paradox
• A double-slit `which-way' experiment on the complementarity--uncertainty debate

Cited by in corpus (5)

• 'Quantum Cheshire Cat' as Simple Quantum Interference
• Observation of the quantum paradox of separation of a single photon from one of its properties
• Weak Measurement and Two-State-Vector Formalism: Deficit of Momentum Transfer in Scattering Processes
• Disembodiment of arbitrary number of properties in quantum Cheshire cat experiment
• Association between quantum paradoxes based on weak values and a realistic interpretation of quantum measurements