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Local asymmetry in interference as a probe of quantum probability

arXiv Quantum Physics
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⚡ Quantum Brief
Yong Zhang’s March 2026 study reveals quantum interference patterns can test the Born rule—the foundation of quantum probability—through previously overlooked local asymmetries in fringe shapes. The research identifies a minimal deformation in quantum probability that produces a measurable left-right asymmetry in interference fringes, distinct from conventional noise or dynamics. Unlike prior methods, this signature preserves Schrödinger’s linear dynamics while introducing cubic skewness in local intensity profiles, offering a clean, falsifiable probe of quantum mechanics. The effect is universal and scale-invariant, immune to experimental noise, suggesting fringe "imperfections" may encode fundamental physics beyond position and curvature. This work redefines interference analysis, proposing that local asymmetry could serve as a direct experimental test of quantum probability’s core postulates.
Local asymmetry in interference as a probe of quantum probability

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Quantum Physics arXiv:2603.19342 (quant-ph) [Submitted on 19 Mar 2026] Title:Local asymmetry in interference as a probe of quantum probability Authors:Yong Zhang View a PDF of the paper titled Local asymmetry in interference as a probe of quantum probability, by Yong Zhang View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:Quantum interference provides one of the most sensitive probes of quantum mechanics. While linear superposition fixes the positions and quadratic curvature of interference fringes, it remains unclear whether the probabilistic postulate itself, the Born rule, can be tested through finer, local features of interference patterns. Here we show that a minimal deformation of quantum probability gives rise to a robust and symmetry-protected signature: a left-right asymmetry in the local shape of interference fringes. Remarkably, this effect leaves the linear Schrödinger dynamics intact and does not shift fringe positions or modify their quadratic curvature. Instead, it appears exclusively as a cubic skewness of local intensity profiles, providing a clean and falsifiable observable. We demonstrate this behavior within a controlled realization that preserves linear dynamics while minimally deforming the probabilistic assignment. The resulting signature is universal, scale insensitive, and cannot be mimicked by conventional sources of experimental noise. Our results identify local asymmetry in interference as a direct probe of quantum probability itself, suggesting that features often regarded as removable imperfections may encode fundamental information beyond fringe positions and widths. Comments: Subjects: Quantum Physics (quant-ph) Cite as: arXiv:2603.19342 [quant-ph] (or arXiv:2603.19342v1 [quant-ph] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2603.19342 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration) Submission history From: Yong Zhang [view email] [v1] Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:17:12 UTC (9 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View a PDF of the paper titled Local asymmetry in interference as a probe of quantum probability, by Yong ZhangView PDFHTML (experimental)TeX Source view license Current browse context: quant-ph new | recent | 2026-03 References & Citations INSPIRE HEP NASA ADSGoogle Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Loading... BibTeX formatted citation × loading... Data provided by: Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer (What is the Explorer?) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers (What is Connected Papers?) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps (What is Litmaps?) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations (What are Smart Citations?) Code, Data, Media Code, Data and Media Associated with this Article alphaXiv Toggle alphaXiv (What is alphaXiv?) Links to Code Toggle CatalyzeX Code Finder for Papers (What is CatalyzeX?) DagsHub Toggle DagsHub (What is DagsHub?) GotitPub Toggle Gotit.pub (What is GotitPub?) Huggingface Toggle Hugging Face (What is Huggingface?) Links to Code Toggle Papers with Code (What is Papers with Code?) ScienceCast Toggle ScienceCast (What is ScienceCast?) Demos Demos Replicate Toggle Replicate (What is Replicate?) Spaces Toggle Hugging Face Spaces (What is Spaces?) Spaces Toggle TXYZ.AI (What is TXYZ.AI?) Related Papers Recommenders and Search Tools Link to Influence Flower Influence Flower (What are Influence Flowers?) Core recommender toggle CORE Recommender (What is CORE?) Author Venue Institution Topic About arXivLabs arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs. Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax (What is MathJax?)

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Source: arXiv Quantum Physics