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Physics & Astronomy
Eduardo Flores Associate Professor Biography: Ph.D., University of Michigan Field: Theoretical High Energy Physics My research interests include topics on the foundations of physics and general relativity. My present research deals with the Afshar experiment. The Afshar experiment results show an apparent violation of Bohr's principle of complementarity. Bohr's principle of complementarity is a cornerstone for the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics. Progress made in the last two years of study of the Afshar experiment has led me to interesting conclusions; the most important conclusion is that the apparent violation of Bohr's complementarity principle has been resolved. Interestingly, the resolution has nothing to do with errors in the experiment or its analysis. The reason for the violation of the complementarity principle in the Afshar experiment appears to be related to the use of a particular measuring technique. It is interesting that the technique used by Afshar et al. is a standard technique in the analysis of particle physics experiments. This technique has also been used in the analysis of a classical quantum experiment known as the delayed choice experiment. However, as the results of the Afshar experiment show, this standard measuring technique is not purely quantum mechanical but it has a classical (pre-quantum) physics component. The discovery that this successful analysis technique is semiclassical has important possibilities. It could be that any analysis done with this technique is incorrect since it mixes classical with quantum mechanics. The alternative is that this powerful measuring technique is complementary and compatible with quantum mechanics. In my work I assume the second possibility. In the next phase of my research I would like to study the compatibility issues between quantum mechanics and the semiclassical technique. More importantly, there should be several physical consequences that should be analyzed.
Contact Information Publications Recent: E. Flores, "Modified Afshar experiment: Calculations," Proc. SPIE, Vol. 7421, 74210W (2009) arXiv:0803.2192 R. Buonpastore, E. Knoesel, E. Flores, "Diffraction of coherent light with sinusoidal amplitude by a thin-slit grid," Opt. Int. J. Light Electron. Opt. (2009), doi:10.1016/j.ijleo.2008.12.004 arXiv:0805.0254 E. Flores, "Reply to Steuernagel," Found. Phys. 38, 778-781 (2008) arXiv:0802.0245 E. Flores and E. Knoesel, "Why Kastner analysis does not apply to a modified Afshar experiment," Proc. of SPIE, Vol.6664, 66640O, (2007) arXiv:quant-ph/0702210 S.S. Afshar, E. Flores, K.F. McDonald, E. Knoesel, "Paradox in Wave-Particle Duality for Non-Perturbative Measurements," Found. Phys. 37, 295 (2007) arXiv:quant-ph/0702188 |
