We report on a theoretical study of the quantum interference behaviour of electron flow from a double-slit device made from a semiconductor two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) system with the slit widths in the quantum conductance regime. The device consists of a double slit and a single slit in a configuration where the single slit is placed on the source side of the double slit. The wavefunctions of electrons passing through the double-slit structure are calculated on the basis of a scattering matrix method. It is found that including a single slit between the double slit and the source contact in the device is essential for the observation of interference fringes of electron flow in a double-slit experiment with a 2DEG. When only the lowest mode is open for conduction in the individual slits, the interference patterns of electron flow from the double slit resemble the results of a conventional Young's double-slit experiment well. When several modes are open for conduction in the individual slits, the interference patterns of electron flow from the double slit are dominated by the interference of electrons flowing through the highest index open modes in the slits. As a result of the existence of multiple-lobe structures in electron flow from these high index open modes, these interference patterns, in general, show rather complex structures. We also discuss the characteristics of interference patterns in the near-and far-field regimes and the dependence of the fringe spacing on the slit distance in the double slit.
We report on a theoretical study of the quantum interference behaviour of electron flow from a double-slit device made from a semiconductor two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) system with the slit widths in the quantum conductance regime. The device consists of a double slit and a single slit in a configuration where the single slit is placed on the source side of the double slit. The wavefunctions of electrons passing through the double-slit structure are calculated on the basis of a scattering matrix method. It is found that including a single slit between the double slit and the source contact in the device is essential for the observation of interference fringes of electron flow in a double-slit experiment with a 2DEG. When only the lowest mode is open for conduction in the individual slits, the interference patterns of electron flow from the double slit resemble the results of a conventional Young's double-slit experiment well. When several modes are open for conduction in the individual slits, the interference patterns of electron flow from the double slit are dominated by the interference of electrons flowing through the highest index open modes in the slits. As a result of the existence of multiple-lobe structures in electron flow from these high index open modes, these interference patterns, in general, show rather complex structures. We also discuss the characteristics of interference patterns in the near-and far-field regimes and the dependence of the fringe spacing on the slit distance in the double slit.
In a "thought experiment," now a classic in physics pedagogy, Feynman visualizes Young's double-slit interference experiment with electrons in magnetic field. He shows that the addition of an Aharonov-Bohm phase is equivalent to shifting the zero-field wave interference pattern by an angle expected from the Lorentz force calculation for classical particles. We have performed this experiment with one slit, instead of two, where ballistic electrons within two-dimensional electron gas diffract through a small orifice formed by a quantum point contact (QPC). As the QPC width is comparable to the electron wavelength, the observed intensity profile is further modulated by the transverse waveguide modes present at the injector QPC. Our experiments open the way to realizing diffraction-based ideas in mesoscopic physics.
Abstract The Young's double slit experiment and the electron double slit experiment are generally considered to prove the wave nature of light and electrons. The most obvious sign of the double-slit experiment is that there are bright and dark stripes on the screen. However, people have not carefully studied the causes of the light and dark stripes. Here, we demonstrates that the light and dark fringe in Young's double-slit experiment is not actually the diffraction and interference pattern of light wave, and tries to reveal the real reason for its formation. We have studied the scattering phenomenon of particle flow after passing through the gap, and found that the scattering type and scattering degree of freedom of particle flow are determined by the physical parameters of particles and the gap, and the uniform scattering of particle flow can form a "yes" and "no" discrete distribution pattern on the receiving screen. Based on the "diffraction like" and "interference like" mechanism of particle flow, this paper explains the electron diffraction and interference experiment, as well as the Young's double-slit interference experiment and the diffraction of light through circular holes and plates. This paper negates the wave-particle duality and the de Broglie material wave hypothesis, fundamentally shaking the foundation of modern quantum mechanics, and has great scientific significance.
Electron double-slit experiments, the essence of quantum mechanical “wave/particle duality,” have been extensively and continuously studied because their unrealistic interpretations have attracted many researchers. Here, we discuss recent sophisticated V-shaped double-slit experiments to elucidate electron-path information, i.e., which slit electrons pass through, which path they pursue, and where they arrive and interfere on the image plane. In a transmission electron microscope, an optically zero-propagation distance condition was realized, where the double-slit position was imaged just on the detector plane. Interference fringes composed of dot images were controlled by using two electron biprisms. Using a V-shaped double slit, we confirmed that it is possible to observe interference fringes only when the path information of individual electrons is not available. Furthermore, we studied how the interference fringes would shift their detected positions when electron wave phases were modulated before illumination to the double slit. Phase shifts were generated by tilting electron beams. We confirmed that each single electron as a wave changed its phase even when it traveled alone inside the microscope.
Electron double-slit experiments, the essence of quantum mechanical “wave/particle duality”, have been extensively and continuously studied because their unrealistic interpretations have attracted many researchers. Here, we discuss recent sophisticated V-shaped double-slit experiments to elucidate electron-path information, i.e., which slit electrons pass through, which path they pursue, and where they arrive and interfere on the image plane. In a transmission electron microscope, an optically zero-propagation distance condition was realized, where the double-slit position was imaged just on the detector plane. Interference fringes composed of dot images were controlled by using two electron biprisms. Using a V-shaped double slit, we confirmed that it is possible to observe interference fringes only when the path information of individual electrons is not available. Furthermore, we studied how the interference fringes would shift their detected positions when electron wave phases were modulated before illumination to the double slit. Phase shifts were generated by tilting electron beams. We confirmed that each single electron as a wave changed its phase even when it traveled alone inside the microscope.
The mainstream quantum mechanics uses “probability wave superposition and single-electron self-interference” to explain electron single-slit and double-slit diffraction. This theory deviates from the essential nature of real particle interactions and has fundamental logical flaws. The electron is a negatively charged real particle with a definite physical size and high-frequency transverse oscillation; a single real particle has no physical basis for self-interference. Abandoning the abstract probability wave hypothesis, this paper establishes a complete real-interaction model including electrostatic repulsion deflection, surface electron exchange, collision scattering, microscopic refraction, and barrier diffraction, based on the three-dimensional random transverse oscillation and charge repulsion of electrons. The model uniformly explains the real formation mechanism of electron single-slit diffraction and double-slit interference fringes. This paper proves that in single-electron sequential emission, each electron passes through only one slit; all bright and dark fringes are the statistical result of multiple microscopic interactions between electrons and slit walls or the central barrier. The disappearance of fringes under observation is caused by external disturbance to the inherent oscillation and wall-interaction equilibrium, not by wave function collapse. This paper further clarifies that whether an electron can pass through a slit is determined by its transverse oscillation amplitude, not by wavelength. Amplitude directly corresponds to slit width and is the core controlling variable of diffraction. Meanwhile, if no slit is placed, electrons flying directly to the screen produce no diffraction or interference fringes, proving that electrons themselves have no self-interference ability. Fringes are generated by slit structures, not by intrinsic wave interference of electrons. This study corrects the century-long misunderstanding of electron diffraction and establishes a new microscopic diffraction mechanism consistent with classical real-particle physics.
We have carried out Young's double-slit experiment for the hot-electron wave in man-made semiconductor structures with a 25-nm-space double slit in an InP layer buried within GaInAs, a 190-nm-thick GaInAsP hot-electron wave propagation layer, and a collector array of 80 nm pitch. At 4.2 K, dependences of the collector current on the magnetic field were measured and found to agree clearly with the double-slit interference theory. The present results show evidence for the wave front spread of hot electrons using the three-dimensional state in materials, for the first time, and the possibility of using top-down fabrication techniques to achieve quantum wave front control in materials.