4 ms·
I've been struggling to understand double-slit. I had thought the pattern represented interference between the probability distributions of where the photon mi
by geoelectric 10y ago
I've been struggling to understand double-slit.
I had thought the pattern represented interference between the probability distributions of where the photon might be found (which themselves follow "wavelength" and produce wave-like behavior). With two slits you get two distinct probability distributions that overlap spatially at the screen, which when added together cause denser/less-dense areas of photon detection and looks like an interference pattern.
That would have explained why streams of single photons "self-interfere" (they wouldn't--it's the underlying probability of their path that interferes with itself, so the pattern would eventually appear at any emission rate) but that seems so simplistic as to be unlikely to be the truth of the matter, especially with delayed choice and quantum erasure effects.
Do you happen to know a good layman's source for a solid explanation of what we know about double slit right now? I'd really like to understand it, if only at a high level.