On the use of a virtual Mach–Zehnder interferometer in the teaching of quantum mechanics

For many students, the conceptual learning of quantum mechanics can be rather painful owing to the counter-intuitive nature of quantum phenomena. In order to enhance students' understanding of the odd behaviour of photons and electrons, we introduce a computational simulation of the Mach–Zehnder interferometer, developed by our research group. An example of an instruction session based on the use of the virtual Mach–Zehnder interferometer is also presented.