Understanding Popper's Experiment

Abstract

An experiment proposed by Karl Popper is considered by many to be a crucial test of quantum mechanics. Although many loopholes in the original proposal have been pointed out, they are not crucial to the test. We use only the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics to point out what is fundamentally wrong with the proposal, and demonstrate that Popper's basic premise was faulty.

Edited version, to appear in Am. J. Phys

References in corpus (3)

• Atomic position localization via dual measurement
• Popper's experiment, Copenhagen Interpretation and Nonlocality
• Realism in the Realized Popper's Experiment

Cited by in corpus (11)

• Entanglement: Quantum or Classical?
• Hanbury Brown-Twiss Effect with Wave Packets
• Biphoton Interference in a Double-Slit Experiment
• Quantum Coherence and Path-Distinguishability of Two Entangled Particles
• Popper's Experiment and Superluminal Communication
• Considerations on an Optical Test of Popper's Experiment
• A Nonlocal Wave-Particle Duality
• Experimental investigation of Popper's proposed ghost-diffraction experiment
• Three-Slit Ghost Interference and Nonlocal Duality
• Wave-Packet Analysis of Single-Slit Ghost Diffraction
• Characterizing the Generalized Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen State and Extensions