Culture and Religion

A world view where the guide for society is based on human nature,
 not on ancient scriptures.  Home  or Topic Groups

 

Matter double slit experiment

Most physicists are aware of the double slit experiment,
With waves interference patterns are observed.
These waves can be physical like water or electromagnetic.

This test confirms the expected behavior of waves.

This test has also been conducted with matter.
I believe the only particle of matter used for this experiment is the electron. An electron gun is capable of ejecting high speed electrons. Detectors can verify their passage.

Electromagnetic radiation is synchronized perpendicular electric and magnetic fields. These fields behave like a wave with a defined frequency. My post on 3/29 described the various ways these EM waves can be generated.

When a single electron is moving through space, it has its electric field associated with its charge. Moving  electrical charges will generate a magnetic field.
Therefore the moving electron is accompanied by a very weak electromagnetic wave front as it moves.

When the electron passes through the slit this wave front behaves like any other electromagnetic wave. I expect the synchronized EM fields continue their propagation beyond the slit.

The double slit experiment using an electron demonstrates the electron has a particle / wave duality. This is because the moving electron generates the observed wave.

This experiment cannot be claimed to encompass 'matter' until tests of other particles of matter have been used.

I believe is no proton gun technology available; I could find no reference online.

Physicists might be aware of the Rutherford alpha particle scattering experiment that was performed in 1909. Obviously a mechanism was developed to manage alpha particles being ejected by radioactive decay to focus the beam, confirming alpha particles repelled each other due to a positive charge. Perhaps this could be adapted to a double slit experiment.

At this time I believe all of 'matter' has not been verified, with this experiment, to have a wave nature after testing only an electron.

There might be other experiments that confirm the wave-particle duality of matter but this specific experiment using only an electron does not provide that confirmation.
Perhaps I am mistaken in interpreting this age-old experiment but this is a logical interpretation with a few assumptions  and I have no way to test it in a laboratory.

Subsequent addition right after posting:
When a different particle of matter is used for the test it should have no charge, to avoid the same behavior observed with a charged particle like the electron.
This comment got a like.

Hit back to go to previous page in history.
Here is the list of topics in this Cosmology Topic Group .

Ctrl + for zoom in;  Ctrl - for zoom out ;  Ctrl 0 for no zoom;
triple-tap for zoom to fit;  pinch for zoom change;  pinched for no zoom