'Double Slit Experiment' question

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Spaceboy
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'Double Slit Experiment' question

Post by Spaceboy »

Reference

Instead of adding a detector, why not move the screen in which the bands appear progressively closer?
Would that work? Does it still interfere somehow?
I haven't been able to find anything regarding this question...
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Verran
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Post by Verran »

If I understand you correctly, wouldn't that just cause the interference bands to render closer together?

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Verran
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Post by Verran »

Still thinking about this... it would be really interesting to see this:

Conduct the experiment without observing, and again while observing, but instead, bounce the light back off a mirror and see what happens.

During observation, does the interference pattern return after the light is reflected?

Now that would be interesting to see, indeed!

(if it hasn't already been done)
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Spaceboy
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Post by Spaceboy »

Verran wrote:If I understand you correctly, wouldn't that just cause the interference bands to render closer together?

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Well, as it gets closer, I'm wondering how it could affect the interference. Instead of using an observer, I was thinking this might be able to give an actual visual record of how the electrons travel from the moment they pass through the slits, to the point where the paper usually is.

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That would be interesting, but that's assuming the mirror has no effects on the electrons itself. That could be easily tested by just not observing first, though.

Also, has anyone done an experiment that involved shooting one photon at a time? Does it get an interference pattern aswell?

I'd like to see behavior comparisons between photons and electrons in this experiment.

It's already known that light and matter are essentially composed of the same thing, or are the same thing, maybe the results shouldn't be that surprising.
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Post by SuperSheep »

http://vega.org.uk/video/subseries/8

All you wanted to know about light :)
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Post by Burlyman »

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Lothar
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Post by Lothar »

Spaceboy wrote:Also, has anyone done an experiment that involved shooting one photon at a time? Does it get an interference pattern aswell?
Yes and yes; it's in your original link.

To answer the original question, you should still get interference if you move the screen closer, but the pattern will shift. I suspect the major limiting factor is how smoothly you can move the screen.
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Post by Gooberman »

Have you ever wondered why we can hear sound around a corner, but not see around a corner? (Actually we can, just not very well!)
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