Direct measurement of the quantum wavefunction

Jeff S. Lundeen (), Brandon Sutherland, Aabid Patel, Corey Stewart and Charles Bamber
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Jeff S. Lundeen: Institute for National Measurement Standards, National Research Council, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, Canada, K1A 0R6
Brandon Sutherland: Institute for National Measurement Standards, National Research Council, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, Canada, K1A 0R6
Aabid Patel: Institute for National Measurement Standards, National Research Council, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, Canada, K1A 0R6
Corey Stewart: Institute for National Measurement Standards, National Research Council, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, Canada, K1A 0R6
Charles Bamber: Institute for National Measurement Standards, National Research Council, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, Canada, K1A 0R6

Nature, 2011, vol. 474, issue 7350, 188-191

Abstract: What is a wavefunction? The wavefunction, describing both the wave-like and the particle-like nature of everything in the Universe, is central to quantum theory. Physicists usually learn about it indirectly in tomographic experiments that measure only some aspects of its behaviour. Now a team from Canada's Institute for National Measurement Standards has developed a new and gentle technique that makes it possible to observe the wavefunction directly. They demonstrate the approach by measuring the transverse spatial wavefunction of a single photon. The discovery that the wavefunction can be probed directly provides a tool that could prove useful in a wide range of fields, and raises questions bordering on the philosophical about what the wavefunction actually is.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10120

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