The Strainge Reality of Double Slit Experiment

The double slit experiment has its bases in the wave/particle duality of subatomic particles. What makes it so amazing is that the results are among the strangest in quantum mechanics. It is the king of quantum weirdness being the strangest results in science. The original double silt experiment used photons of light, but later versions used electrons but the results are the same The double slit experiment is actually responsible for starting Quantum Physics.

Over the decades numerous explanations have been proposed to explain the results of what on the surface is a very simple experiment. However resent experiments involving quantum erasure seem to have reduced the possibilities to being the information that is collected making the difference.

What seem to be happening is the in general subatomic particles tend to exist as wave functions that represent multiple possibilities. When specific information is measured about an event those possibilities are reduced to one producing the needed information. A new wave function of multiple possibilities is then produced consistent with that one possibility.

Putting it all together suggests that what we call reality is actually immaterial at its most fundamental level. At its most fundamental level the universe seems to be composed entirely of information. This makes it more like a sophisticated computer program than a world of material objects.

It is more than just the existence of the information the affects the experiment but its ability of it to eventually be accessed by the experimenter. That experimenter is ultimately a human being that is a conscience entity. The information that makes up reality seems to be calculated as need for a conscience entity so as to produce a consistent reality. This shows that consciousness is a fundamental part of reality. This is not new age thought but what the observation of subatomic particles is actually telling us.

Double Slit Experiment

The double slit experiment a famous some would say infamous experiment in. The experiment requires shooting light or other subatomic particles such as electrons at a screen with two slits in it. Warning things are about to get strange.

When a double slit experiment is perfumed using pure waves the result is an interference pattern. When pure particles like bullets are used they produce two lines behind the slits. But subatomic particles like photons and electrons don’t act like bullets they produce a wave like interference pattern, even when they are shot one at a time.  It seems that each of the particles goes through both slits at the same time.

However the strangeness dose not stop there because when detectors are put in place to see which slit each particle goes through their behavior suddenly changes and they produce only the two lines like bullets would.

Even stranger yet when the detectors are on but the no data is taken the result is a wave like interference pattern suggesting it is the conscience act of observing that actually changes the result.

 Additional Reference

Video on the Double Slit Experiment of Quantum Physics

Double Slit Experiment - YouTube



Interpreting of the Physics of Quantum Mechanics

The following interpretations are theories to explain the reality going behind Quantum Mechanics. Each theory has unique basic concepts and they are not necessarily mutually exclusive since there is some overlap of concepts. The thought experiment called Schrödinger's cat involved placing a cat in a sealed box with a vile of poison that would kill the cat if broken, a radioactive material and a gaiter counter set to drop a hammer on the vile of poison if it detects a radiometric decay event. When the cat is later observed it is found to be ether alive or dead and each these interpretations has a different description of the state of the cat before it is observed.

According to the Copenhagen interpretation quantum particles don't exist in any one state but exists in all of its possible states at once. Once a quantum particle is observed it is forced take on one of the possible states resulting in the is the state that is actually observed. Since it may be forced into a different state each time is why quantum particles behave erratically. The state of a particle being in all possible states at once is called an object's coherent superposition. When an object is observe the superposition collapses the object is forced into one of the states of its wave function. Schrödinger's cat would be both dead and alive at the same time until actually observed. Ultimately the only thing that really matters are the experimental results it does not really seek to explain what it happening behind the experimental results. Currently it is the most popular interpretation, but it is losing ground.

The consistent histories interpretation works backwards from the results of an experiment claiming that only a few possible histories are consistent with quantum mechanics and that Quantum mechanics simply predicts the probabilities of various alternative histories Schrödinger's cat is either alive or dead but not  both Quantum mechanics just gives the probability of which it may be. This idea is not very popular because it still doesn't explain how a particle can go through two slits and interfere with itself and it is considered by some to be pretty much the same as Copenhagen.

The Transactional interpretation sees quantum mechanical waves as stand waves in space time that constructively interfere were the particle is  and destructively interfere every place else. These waves go both forward and backward in time. There is an "exact canceling" of waves so that is no "net" energy travels backwards in time. In the case of Schrödinger's cat tt is alive until the interference patterns line up in the sample to result in a decay event.

The Bohm interpretation or pilot-wave theory depicts the quantum wave guides the particle. It is totally deterministic and good at explaining quantum phenomenon but requires a large number of hidden variables that can not be directly measured. The hidden variables have the side affect of rendering the interpretation untestable. Schrödinger's cat is alive until one the pilot-waves in the sample to causes a decay event.

The many-worlds interpretation sees the world as constantly splitting off into multiple universes in which every possible quantum event occurs. This fits perfectly with Evolution even the most improbable events occurred in some of these universes. Schrödinger's cat the universe keeps spitting off into each alternative in one the cat lives and in the other dies. They both happen in different quantum universes. No evidence exists for this interpretation since the alterative worlds would be forever out of reach. While quantum interference between adjacent worlds has been suggested, the possible evidence for it. Successful interpretation of single particle interference is not unique to the Many-worlds interpretation. So acceptance of this interpretation is purely philosophical and not scientific since it can not be tested.

With consciousness causes collapse consciousness collapses the quantum mechanical waves when an observation is made. There is some supporting evidence for this though the evidence is not exclusive to this interpretation. It is compatible with General Intelligent Design as well.  This supporting evidence comes from the human brain. It turns out that synaptic activity in the brain requires quantum tunneling on demand. This shows some degree of control by the mind of quantum wave functions. Thus view fits well with both New Age / Hinduism, and the Christian world view. With New Age / Hinduism it provides a way for the mind to interact with the world beyond the five senses. With the Christian world view, since God is the ultimate mind it provides a model for his interaction with our world.  Schrödinger's cat It would be both alive and dead until observed then the mind of the observer would collapse the wave function choosing one or the other. It is similar to the Copenhagen interpretation in this regard.

General Intelligent Design also known as General Grand Unification (GGU) was published by Dr. Robert A. Herrmann professor of Mathematics retired U. S. Naval Academy. By this view quantum mechanical waves and their collapse results from intelligent agents that determine the states resulting from the waves' collapse. These intelligent agents could be one or more intelligent beings or mechanisms preprogrammed by an intelligent being.  This is supported by evidence of synaptic activity in the brain requiring quantum tunneling on demand showing some degree of intelligent control of quantum wave functions.This interpretation fits well with the Christian world view. The idea of an intelligence controlling the universe at its fundamental level fits well with God as described in the Bible. In the case of Schrödinger's cat, the cat is a live until the controlling intelligent agent decides to cause a decay event to takes place and then the cat dies.

The relationship between the mind and Quantum Mechanics is mentioned here because it provides evidence in support for the last two interpretations consciousness causes collapse and General Intelligent Design. It turns out that the synaptic barriers of dendrite brain cells are too thick for nerve signals to classically cross. This means that nerve signals need to use Quantum tunneling to cross the dendrite synaptic barrier. The odds of the nerve signal tunneling across the dendrite synaptic barrier are 1 chance in  10,000,000,  Yet for our brains to function these tunneling events need to occur on demand this is evidence for the mind being able to control quantum phenomenon and against the naturalistic model of the mind as well.

In conclusion there are many ways of interpreting Quantum Mechanics. Acceptance or rejection of each often has more to do with philosophy than science. each fits better with some philosophical views than others and each interpretation differs in how it sees the fundamental nature of reality.

The Spook Action at a Distance Called Quantum Entanglement

The phenomenon in which the quantum states of two or more objects have to be described with reference to each other, even though the individual objects may be separated in space is called Quantum Entanglement. Einstein said  it was “Spook action at a distance”  This results in a correlation between the observable physical properties of the systems such that a change in one object causes an instantaneous change in the other.

Because of Special Relativity  classical information is generally thought being incapable  being sent faster than light by this means. This is because the two particles need to be near each other to become entangled, or they need an intermediate particle, which has to be near one particle and then the other. But this would not prevent the possibility of sending information faster than light in cases where the sender and receiver were originally near each other and then separated such as s apace ship leaving Earth and using such a means for communications. Quantum entanglement is a quantum effect that has no parallel in Classical mechanics.

Superconduction an Effect of Quantum Mechanics

The property that occurs in certain materials below a characteristic temperature where they have an electrical resistance of exactly zero is called superconduction. Discovered in 1911 it took years to find a theory that allowed superconduction to be understood.

At a critical temperature that varies with the substance the electrical resistance will suddenly drops to zero.  The basic theory is that at the critical temperature electrons become coupled over a ranger of about 1,000 X the spacing of the conductor’s lattice with a binding energy that is the result of vibration that the electrons cause in the lattice. Called cooper pairs, the coupled electrons effectively becomes a boson and condense into the ground state. The result is that each coupled electron helps the other over come any resistance encountered from the lattice.

The Meissner Effect is where a magnetic field is expelled from a superconductor during the transition to the superconducting state that is caused by electric currents generated near its surface by the applied field. The magnetic field of these currents cancels out the applied magnetic field within the superconductor. This causes the magnetic levitation associated with superconductors.

Superconductivity is a purely quantum effect that has no counter part in classical physics. It’s most commonly known effect is magnetic levitation. It is one of two purely quantum effects that are seen on a macroscopic scale.

Superfluids a stange Quantum Effect

A superfluid is a liquid that has no viscosity and infinite thermal conductivity. Superfluids appears as normal liquids but flow without friction past any surface allowing it to continue to circulate over obstructions and through pores in its container do only to its own inertia.

The atoms in a superfluid all exist in the same quantum state so they all have the same momentum such that if one moves they all move allowing superfluids to move without friction even through the tiniest of cracks. Superfluid helium will flow up the sides of a jar and over the top. Superfluity is a purely quantum effect that has no counter part in classical physics. It is one of two purely quantum effects that are seen on a macroscopic scale.

Atoms Are Every Thing

The basic unit of matter is called the atom. Atoms consists of a dense, central positively charged nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The Rutherford Gold Foil Experiment conducted in 1911 involved shooting alpha particles (He nuclei) at a gold foil to observe how they are scattered by the gold on a screen. It probed the structure of the Atom.  

If atoms had been a solid mass few if any alpha particles would gotten through. If negative electron were embedded in a thin positive mass all of the alpha particles would get through. However most of the alpha particles get through with some being scattered by the small positive nucleus. Rutherford’s conclusion was that the atoms is mostly empty space with a small positive nucleus surrounded by electrons scattered through out the surrounding space. In such a model the electron can not stand still since if they did they fall into the nucleus

This resulted in efforts to model the atom as a solar system known as the planetary model with electrons orbiting the nucleus like planets around a star. The problem with the planetary model is that electrons are charged particles and an accelerating charge emits light loosing energy and this would cause the electron to spiral into the nucleus.

Broglie had shown that particles have wave like propertied. Bohr went on to show that these waves could be bent into orbits like those expected for an electron with the result that electrons can only occupy those orbits with exactly a whole number of wavelengths. In these orbits the waves are add together with constructive interference. If an orbit has a fractional number of wavelengths the wave would destructively interfere and not persist so an electron can not occupy such an obit. The result is that that electrons jump from orbit to orbit emitting photons when going to a lower orbit and absorbing photons are when going to a higher orbit. It turns out that transitions between the possible electron orbits, matches the spectral lines that are actually observed in hydrogen. This was a major step in development quantum Mechanics.

Studying elements other hydrogen included the effects of multiple electrons resulted in the electron orbital five of which are shown above. They are places in an atom where electrons can actually be found. The shapes of these orbitals were originally found mathematically and they have long been viewed as purely mathematical abstractions that were never expected to be seen. Physics students have long been told this however field-emission electron microscopy has changed this. he imaging of actual electron orbitals was a surprise but it vividly shows the accuracy of Quantum Mechanics.