Quantum uncertainty and wave–particle duality are equivalent, experiment shows

Amazing stuff! Don't we love dualities? Or the Russian Matryoshka doll of enigmas! 😊

"With the help of a new experiment, researchers at Linköping University, among others, have succeeded in confirming a ten-year-old theoretical study, which connects one of the most fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics – the complementarity principle – with information theory. Their study has been published in the journal Science Advances and provides a piece of the puzzle for understanding future quantum communication, metrology, and cryptography. ...

In 2014, a research team from Singapore demonstrated mathematically a direct connection between the complementarity principle and the degree of unknown information in a quantum system, the so-called entropic uncertainty. This connection means that no matter what combination of wave or particle characteristic of a quantum system is looked at, the amount of unknown information is a least one bit of information, i.e. the unmeasurable wave or particle.

Researchers ... have now succeeded in confirming the Singapore researchers’ theory in reality with the help of a new type of experiment. ..."

"... Partial particles

In 1979, ... showed that wave–particle duality is not a one-or-the-other phenomenon. Instead it is possible to observe partial particle and partial wave-like behaviour, with a trade-off between the two. ..."

From the abstract:

"Wave-particle duality is one of the most notable and counterintuitive features of quantum mechanics, illustrating that two incompatible observables cannot be measured simultaneously with arbitrary precision. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate the equivalence of wave-particle duality and entropic uncertainty relations using orbital angular momentum (OAM) states of light. Our experiment uses an innovative and reconfigurable platform composed of few-mode optical fibers and photonic lanterns, showcasing the versatility of this technology for quantum information processing. Our results provide fundamental insights into the complementarity principle from an informational perspective, with implications for the broader field of quantum technologies."

Quantum uncertainty and wave–particle duality are equivalent, experiment shows – Physics World

A connection between quantum theory and information theory proved (original news release)

Experimental demonstration of the equivalence of entropic uncertainty with wave-particle duality (open access)

Fig. 3. Dynamic change between OAM wave and particle behavior.