ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Delayed-choice quantum eraser

Imagine you have a puzzle with a bunch of pieces. Sometimes, you might not be able to see a piece until you put another piece in its place. It's like magic! This is what happens in the world of quantum mechanics, where everything is really, really small.

In quantum mechanics, there are tiny things called particles. These particles can be in two places at once, or they can be moving really fast and slow at the same time. It's weird, but it's true!

One thing that scientists have discovered about these particles is that they can be erased. This means that they can disappear or lose their identity. It's like a magic trick! The same particle that was there before is now gone.

But here's where it gets really interesting. Scientists have found a way to control when particles get erased. They set up an experiment where particles go through a bunch of stuff, and at the end, their identity gets erased. But if they change something in the experiment, they can stop the particles from getting erased.

It's like a game. They can decide whether to erase the particles or not. And they can do it even after the particles have gone through everything!

So, what's a delayed-choice quantum eraser? It's like waiting until the last minute to decide if you want to erase something or not. Scientists can set up an experiment where particles go through a bunch of stuff, but they don't decide if they want to erase them until after the particles have already gone through everything.

It's like being really sneaky with the particles. They don't know what's going to happen until after it happens! And that's why it's called a delayed-choice quantum eraser. It's like a game of hide and seek, but with particles and erasers. Cool, huh?