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Mach–Zehnder Interferometer

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About this simulation

An ideal, lossless 50:50 interferometer uses a fixed phase convention. Both path amplitudes describe one quantum state; lines are not photon trajectories. Blocking one arm absorbs half the inputs. Without the second splitter, the detectors distinguish the two arms.

What students can explore

  • Compare phase 0° and 180°, then remove the second splitter or block one arm.
  • Change the phase to direct probability between D0 and D1. Removing the second splitter removes phase-dependent output interference.

Learning objectives

  1. 1Compare phase 0° and 180°, then remove the second splitter or block one arm.

Questions teachers ask

How does this work?

An ideal, lossless 50:50 interferometer uses a fixed phase convention. Both path amplitudes describe one quantum state; lines are not photon trajectories. Blocking one arm absorbs half the inputs. Without the second splitter, the detectors distinguish the two arms.

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<iframe src="https://kiwibee.io/en/simulations/mach-zehnder-interferometer-simulation/embed" title="Mach–Zehnder Interferometer | KiwiBee" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;height:min(70vh,620px);min-height:420px;border:0;border-radius:16px"></iframe>

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