Benefits of using asymmetry in modeling physics phenomena*

Double-slit diffraction pattern is the crux behind understanding single photon interference. We introduce amplitude & phase asymmetry by inserting suitable masks on one slit and plot the fringes. The cosine fringes under the sinc²-envelope become asymmetric. For unequal amplitudes, the expression for fringes would be sinc²x’[a₁²+ a₂²+2a₁a₂cosφ]. Here x’is a compacted parameter for the 1-slit pattern. φ is the relative phase delay for the two paths to the detector plane. cosφ=+/-1 give the fringe extrema envelopes. The top and the bottom envelopes for the 2-slit cosine fringes will be sinc²x’(a₁+ a₂)²& sinc²x’(a₁- a₂)². Plots will be presented. The implications are clear. The full wave-amplitudes a₁+ a₂ stimulates the detecting dipoles at the maxima. But, at the dark fringe locations, the detecting dipoles still receive the unbalanced stimulation a₁- a₂ and the consequent energy; known in coherence theory. We should not continue to teach the belief “photons do not arrive at the dark fringe locations”. Detectors’ local response to the available resultant stimulation causes the fringes. We will also present experimental results of an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer to underscore that the observable superposition effects with light waves are essentially classical phenomena.