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An observed manifestation of a parity symmetry in the backward in time evolved post-selected state of a twin Mach–Zehnder interferometer

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Abstract

An optical twin Mach–Zehnder interferometry weak value experiment was recently performed that provided indirect experimental evidence for the relationship between single particle quantum interference and the non-local exchange of modular momentum. The associated measurement data were found to exhibit an interesting symmetry. Here, it is shown that this observed data symmetry is the result of a \({\mathbb {Z}}_2\) parity symmetry in the backward in time evolved post-selected state at the time of measurement and that the “conservation of weak probability” and “mean pointer position invariants” are observed consequences of this symmetry.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a Grant from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division’s In-house Laboratory Independent Research Program.

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Parks, A.D., Spence, S.E. An observed manifestation of a parity symmetry in the backward in time evolved post-selected state of a twin Mach–Zehnder interferometer. Quantum Stud.: Math. Found. 4, 315–322 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40509-017-0106-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40509-017-0106-1

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