Jonathan F. Reichert and Barbara Wolff-Reichert Award for Excellence in Advanced Laboratory Instruction (2020): Labs to teach quantum physics: In-person and remote*

Advances in optical technology have brought new opportunities for offering table-top laboratories to teach quantum physics. Photon labs offer demonstrations of fundamental questions about quantum mechanics, such as superposition and entanglement. Our recent additions to this curriculum include fundamental topics such as delayed choice, where the decision to observe of the particle or wave aspect of a photon going through an interferometer is made after the photon is detected. A recent lab on a quantum-applied topic involves demonstrating quantum key distribution with entangled photons. We have also implemented these labs remotely, where the apparatus is viewed and controlled via remote desktop. This allows more students to do experiments with the same setup. We are currently investigating a wave-mechanics demonstration that uses spatial light modulation and the similarity between Helmholtz and Schrodinger equations to highlight quantum mechanics of the simple pendulum.