delayed-choice experiment
E121386
The delayed-choice experiment is a quantum mechanics thought experiment and class of real experiments showing that a particle’s behavior as a wave or particle can appear to be decided by measurements made after it has entered, or even passed through, an experimental apparatus.
All labels observed (4)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Wheeler’s delayed-choice experiment | 1 |
| delayed-choice experiment canonical | 1 |
| delayed-choice quantum eraser | 1 |
| quantum eraser experiment | 1 |
How this entity was disambiguated
This entity first appeared as the object of triple T1057833 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.
NED1
Entity disambiguation (via context triple)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: delayed-choice experiment Context triple: [John Archibald Wheeler, knownFor, delayed-choice experiment]
-
A.
Wigner’s friend thought experiment
Wigner’s friend thought experiment is a foundational quantum mechanics scenario that explores the role of observers and consciousness in measurement by considering how different observers can assign conflicting quantum states to the same system.
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B.
Ives–Stilwell experiment
The Ives–Stilwell experiment is a classic test of special relativity that measured the relativistic Doppler effect to confirm time dilation for fast-moving ions.
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C.
Kennedy–Thorndike experiment
The Kennedy–Thorndike experiment is a classic test of special relativity that examined the constancy of the speed of light using an interferometer with unequal arm lengths and varying laboratory velocity.
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D.
Michelson–Morley experiment
The Michelson–Morley experiment was a landmark 1887 physics experiment that attempted to detect the Earth's motion through the hypothesized luminiferous aether and whose null result helped pave the way for Einstein's theory of special relativity.
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E.
Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect
The Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect is a quantum optical phenomenon in which correlations in the arrival times of identical particles, such as photons, reveal their underlying statistical and coherence properties.
- F. None of above. chosen
- G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.
NED2
Entity disambiguation (via description)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: delayed-choice experiment Target entity description: The delayed-choice experiment is a quantum mechanics thought experiment and class of real experiments showing that a particle’s behavior as a wave or particle can appear to be decided by measurements made after it has entered, or even passed through, an experimental apparatus.
-
A.
Wigner’s friend thought experiment
Wigner’s friend thought experiment is a foundational quantum mechanics scenario that explores the role of observers and consciousness in measurement by considering how different observers can assign conflicting quantum states to the same system.
-
B.
Ives–Stilwell experiment
The Ives–Stilwell experiment is a classic test of special relativity that measured the relativistic Doppler effect to confirm time dilation for fast-moving ions.
-
C.
Kennedy–Thorndike experiment
The Kennedy–Thorndike experiment is a classic test of special relativity that examined the constancy of the speed of light using an interferometer with unequal arm lengths and varying laboratory velocity.
-
D.
Michelson–Morley experiment
The Michelson–Morley experiment was a landmark 1887 physics experiment that attempted to detect the Earth's motion through the hypothesized luminiferous aether and whose null result helped pave the way for Einstein's theory of special relativity.
-
E.
Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect
The Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect is a quantum optical phenomenon in which correlations in the arrival times of identical particles, such as photons, reveal their underlying statistical and coherence properties.
- F. None of above. chosen
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
physics experiment
ⓘ
quantum mechanics experiment ⓘ thought experiment ⓘ |
| addresses | question of when a quantum system decides to behave as wave or particle ⓘ |
| contradicts | simple hidden-variable models with predetermined wave or particle behavior ⓘ |
| demonstrates |
complementarity principle
ⓘ
contextuality of quantum measurements ⓘ measurement dependence of quantum behavior ⓘ non-classical behavior of photons ⓘ non-classical behavior of single particles ⓘ wave–particle duality ⓘ |
| doesNotImply | retrocausality in standard quantum theory ⓘ |
| field |
foundations of quantum mechanics
ⓘ
quantum mechanics ⓘ |
| hasInterpretationImplicationsFor |
Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics
ⓘ
surface form:
Copenhagen interpretation
Everett many-worlds interpretation ⓘ
surface form:
many-worlds interpretation
pilot-wave theory ⓘ relational quantum mechanics ⓘ |
| hasVariant |
cosmic delayed-choice experiment
ⓘ
delayed-choice quantum eraser experiment ⓘ entanglement-assisted delayed-choice experiment ⓘ |
| involves |
Mach–Zehnder interferometer
ⓘ
beam splitters ⓘ choice of measurement basis ⓘ delayed measurement setting ⓘ interferometers ⓘ quantum measurement ⓘ random choice of measurement setting ⓘ single photons ⓘ |
| keyIdea |
experimental configuration can be changed after particle enters interferometer
ⓘ
outcome statistics depend on final measurement configuration ⓘ |
| proposedBy | John Archibald Wheeler ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Bell test experiment
ⓘ
delayed-choice experiment self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form:
Wheeler’s delayed-choice experiment
delayed-choice experiment self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form:
delayed-choice quantum eraser
double-slit experiment ⓘ delayed-choice experiment self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form:
quantum eraser experiment
|
| shows |
incompatibility with naive classical trajectory picture
ⓘ
measurement can determine whether interference is observed ⓘ measurement choice can be made after particle enters interferometer ⓘ measurement choice can be made after particle passes first beam splitter ⓘ no need to assume particle had definite wave or particle nature beforehand ⓘ |
| supports | standard quantum mechanical predictions ⓘ |
| timeOrdering |
measurement choice can be space-like separated from particle entry
ⓘ
measurement choice can occur after particle passes apparatus ⓘ |
| typicalObservable |
interference pattern
ⓘ
which-path information ⓘ |
| uses |
fast switching devices
ⓘ
random number generators ⓘ single-particle sources ⓘ |
How these facts were elicited
The pipeline generated the facts above by prompting gpt-5.1 with this entity's name + description and the instruction below.
Instruction
You are a knowledge base construction expert. Given a subject entity and a description of it, return factual statements that you know for the subject as a JSON list of dictionaries(triples), where keys must be "subject", "predicate" and "object". The number of facts may be very high, between 25 to 50 or more, for very popular subjects. For less popular subjects, the number of facts can be very low, like 5 or 10. # Requirements - If you don't know the subject at all, return an empty list. - If the subject is not a named entity, return an empty list. - Include at least one triple where predicate is "instanceOf". - Do not get too wordy. - Separate several objects into multiple triples with one object.
Input
Subject: delayed-choice experiment Description of subject: The delayed-choice experiment is a quantum mechanics thought experiment and class of real experiments showing that a particle’s behavior as a wave or particle can appear to be decided by measurements made after it has entered, or even passed through, an experimental apparatus.
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Wheeler’s delayed-choice experiment
this entity surface form:
quantum eraser experiment
this entity surface form:
delayed-choice quantum eraser