Double slit alternatives/questions

[Baby Astronaut]

1. A new hypothetical experiment uses two pairs of double-slits. Electrons go through one pair of slits (red), and further down also go through a second pair.

 

> ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °l ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° l ) )

>° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° l ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° l ) )

 

A wave doesn't form at the red pair.

 

Only because: you're observing, which collapses the particle's wave --- but as it travels further to the second pair, does it become a wave again?

 

 

2. Another hypothetical experiment begins in more familiar territory, where if the electron is shot one at a time, it would enter both slits and interfere with itself.

 

However, you run a divider in between the slits all the way to the back wall. So if a particle wave goes through both slits, it'd now be unable to interfere with itself, as that divider in the center block the waves from meeting.

 

Does it still go through both slits?

 

 

3. The next hypothetical experiment is the regular double-slit, but you've elevated one slit a few inches higher than the other. Does the wave's height allow it to reach both slits? And if so, might anything interesting occur?

 

 

Note: the hypothetical experiments I've listed are based on conclusions drawn from the following YouTube vid. I'm not sure if they got it right, but in case they didn't, I'm just basing my questions off that. And I'd still have a muddy view of the double-slit experiment (if they're wrong).

 

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[Klaynos]

1. Why is there no wave created after the red pair? What are you doing to stop this, also double slit experiments are done using a single source.

 

2. That is a method of working out which slit the electron has gone through, so it would destroy the interference pattern.

 

3. if the slits are not next to each other you just have two single slit experiments one above the other, nothing interesting will occur.

[swansont]

Observing, in general, doesn't stop the electron from behaving like a wave; the implications are a little more subtle. The electrons will still diffract when going through a slit, for example. What you lose is the interference when you know that they went through a particular slit. That is wave function information, which is not the same thing.

[Baby Astronaut]

Thanks, swansont. Got it: just observing isn't enough to stop the wave behavior. One must attempt to detect its path.

 

1. Why is there no wave created after the red pair? What are you doing to stop this...

Attempting to detect which slit the particle has entered.

 

Does it become a wave again if no such detection exists at the second pair (by the time the electron reaches it)?

 

...also double slit experiments are done using a single source

True. Drawing on a forum post is quite limited and so I did my best Just ignore the extra shooter.

 

2. That is a method of working out which slit the electron has gone through, so it would destroy the interference pattern.

Wow, yeah. Hadn't even occurred to me that indirectly, the divider would reveal the electron's path.

 

3. if the slits are not next to each other you just have two single slit experiments one above the other, nothing interesting will occur.

Let's assume the height of each slit is 20 inches, they're just not level -- one's bottom is higher than the other by a few inches. So perhaps the single electron becomes a wave of potentials (3:10 in the vid) and goes through the lower slit as normal, but for the slightly higher one the bottom part of its wave is blocked -- thus only the top portion of the wave goes through.

 

Interesting in such a manner.