[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Instructional labs: Improving traditions and new directions.] Quantum mechanics is a field often considered very mathematical, abstract, and unintuitive. One way some instructors are hoping to help familiarize their students with these complex topics is to have the students see quantum effects in experiments in undergraduate instructional labs. Here, we present results from an interview study about what it means to both instructors and students to see quantum effects in experiments. We focus on a popular set of quantum optics experiments and find that students believe they are observing quantum effects and achieving related learning goals by working with these experiments. Although it is not possible to see the quantum phenomena directly with their eyes, students point out different aspects of the experiments that contribute to them observing quantum effects. This often includes seeing the experimental results, sometimes in conjunction with interacting with or understanding part of the experiment. There is additional variation across student achievement of the various related learning goals, ranging from many of the students being excited about these experiments and making a connection between the mathematical theory and the experiments to only some of the students seeing a connection between these experiments and quantum technologies. This work can help instructors consider the importance and framing of quantum experiments and raises questions about when and how in the curriculum quantum experiments can be best utilized and how to make related learning goals available to all students.

中文翻译：

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在实验中观察量子效应

[本文是教学实验室重点集锦的一部分：改进传统和新方向。] 量子力学是一个通常被认为非常数学、抽象和不直观的领域。一些教师希望帮助学生熟悉这些复杂主题的一种方法是让学生在本科教学实验室的实验中看到量子效应。在这里，我们展示了一项采访研究的结果，了解在实验中看到量子效应对教师和学生意味着什么。我们关注一组流行的量子光学实验，发现学生相信他们正在观察量子效应并通过这些实验实现相关的学习目标。尽管不可能直接用眼睛看到量子现象，但学生们指出了实验的不同方面，这些方面有助于他们观察量子效应。这通常包括查看实验结果，有时还需要与实验的一部分进行交互或理解实验的一部分。学生在各种相关学习目标上的成就存在着额外的差异，从许多学生对这些实验感到兴奋并在数学理论和实验之间建立联系到只有一些学生看到这些实验和量子之间的联系技术。这项工作可以帮助教师考虑量子实验的重要性和框架，并提出有关何时以及如何在课程中最好地利用量子实验以及如何向所有学生提供相关学习目标的问题。