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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Interference of mesoscopic systems and decoherence: the example of fullerenes

Paolo Facchi A

Published Jul 23, 2002• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We analyze a double-slit experiment when the interfering particle is "mesoscopic" and one endeavors to obtain Weicher Weg information by shining light on it. We derive a compact expression for the visibility of the interference pattern: coherence depends on both the spatial and temporal features of the wave function during its travel to the screen. We set a bound on the temperature of the mesoscopic particle in order that its quantum mechanical coherence be maintained.

DOI
10.1117/12.475885

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We analyze a double-slit experiment when the interfering particle is "mesoscopic" and one endeavors to obtain Weicher Weg information by shining light on it. We derive a compact expression for the visibility of the interference pattern: coherence depends on both the spatial and temporal features of the wave function during its travel to the screen. We set a bound on the temperature of the mesoscopic particle in order that its quantum mechanical coherence be maintained.
A double-slit experiment is analysed when the interfering particle has an internal structure and one endeavours to obtain ‘which path’ information by detecting the light that is spontaneously emitted. A compact expression is derived for the visibility of the interference pattern: coherence depends on both the spatial and temporal features of the emission process during the travel of the particle to the screen. A bound is set on the temperature of a fullerene molecule in a double-slit experiment in order that its quantum mechanical coherence be maintained.
The double slit experiment provides a classic example of both interference and the effect of observation in quantum physics. When particles are sent individually through a pair of slits, a wave-like interference pattern develops, but no such interference is found when one observes which "path" the particles take. We present a model of interference, dephasing, and measurement-induced decoherence in a one-dimensional version of the double-slit experiment. Using this model, we demonstrate how the loss of interference in the system is correlated with the information gain by the measuring apparatus/observer. In doing so, we give a modern account of measurement in this paradigmatic example of quantum physics that is accessible to students taking quantum mechanics at the graduate or senior undergraduate levels.
A coherent superposition of two Gaussian wavepackets, which freely evolves in time, gives rise to an interference pattern similar to that of the single-particle double-slit Young's experiment. In this paper we show that fringe visibility can be reduced by spontaneous decoherence, which can also destroy quantum coherence when interaction between a system and its surroundings can be neglected. This decoherence is due to fluctuations in the evolution time and, in general, cannot be achieved when simple classical averages are considered. We compare our theoretical results with a C 60 fullerenes interference experiment, where thermal decoherence is not relevant, but the fringe visibility is actually reduced.
Quantum Mechanics The interference pattern arising from light or particles passing through a double slit is a simple experiment that belies the subtleties of interpretation when attempting to describe and understand the effect. For example, determining “which path” the light or particles travel can result in the interference pattern disappearing. Margalit et al. present a new take on interferometry using time (see the Perspective by Arndt and Brand). A clock—i.e., the internal state of a cold atom condensate—was coherently split and brought back together to interfere. Making one-half of the clock tick at a different rate resulted in a change in the interference pattern, possibly as a consequence of the time being a “which path” witness. Science , this issue p. [1205][1]; see also p. [1168][2] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aac6498 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aad0683