Complementarity and post-selection in an atomic double-slit interferometer

Abstract

This paper analyzes, theoretically, an atomic double-slit interferometer in order to probe the extent to which complementary properties affect quantum interference. It is shown that if the energy eigenstates of a two-level atom are one-to-one correlated with its particle and wave behaviors, complementary phenomena can be measured simultaneously, indicating a reinterpretation of the complementarity principle. We also demonstrate that these complementary properties can be further distinguished by using a post-selection process. © 2013 Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Wien.