The investigation of the interference phenomenon of Young's double-slit using a single photon is an epoch-making experiment demonstrating the mystery of quantum mechanics, but the details have not yet been clarified. We have developed a method for observing the behavior of photons near the double-slit using a multimode optical fiber to obtain a two-dimensional map of photon motion. Quantitative analysis of the directional motion revealed that the directional change was related to the derivative of the electric field and was uniquely determined by the direction of photon motion.
The investigation of the interference phenomenon of Young's double-slit using a single photon is an epoch-making experiment demonstrating the mystery of quantum mechanics, but the details have not yet been clarified. We have developed a method for observing the behavior of photons near the double-slit using a multimode optical fiber to obtain a two-dimensional map of photon motion. Quantitative analysis of the directional motion revealed that the directional change was related to the derivative of the electric field and was uniquely determined by the direction of photon motion.
The quantum interference phenomenon was observed in Young’s double-slit experiment using a single photon, and then, the validity of quantum mechanics was demonstrated. However, the reason these fringes appear has not been completely explained yet because photon motion has not been investigated in detail. We found a method to observe the motion of photons using the properties of optical fibers and showed vector diagrams of the photon motion near the double-slit. The photons gradually changed their direction while intersecting and formed interference fringes. In addition, utilizing the mode property of the fiber, we observed fringes at its output end, even when one of the two interfering waves could not transmit through the fiber.
Abstract Young’s double slit experiment revived the wave theory of the light. The standard interpretation is that the light behaves as waves before and after passing through the diaphragm of the double slit. Feynman called the double slit experiment the only mystery in quantum mechanics. Recently, the photon chamber has been proposed and utilized to study the behavior of photons near the detecting screen. The experiments show that the light, near the screen, behaves as photons propagating along the straight-line trajectories, and the trajectories distribute as waves. In this article, we utilize two new methods to study experimentally the patterns near the diaphragm of the double slit/cross double slit. The experiments show that, the first time, within certain macroscopic distance from the diaphragm, (1) the pattern is non-interference and thus, the light behaves as photons and produces the “particle pattern” near the double slit; and (2) both the shape and nature of the patterns are distance-dependent; when the distance increases, the non-interference pattern gradually evolves to the interference pattern. The experiments: (1) provide novel phenomena/data for further theoretical development of the optics and for understanding the nature of the light; and (2) show the Feynman’s mystery with different aspect.
Young’s double slit experiment revived the wave theory of the light. The standard interpretation is that the light behaves as waves before and after passing through the diaphragm of the double slit. Feynman called the double slit experiment the only mystery in quantum mechanics. Recently, the photon chamber has been proposed and utilized to study the behavior of photons near the detecting screen. The experiments show that the light, near the screen, behaves as photons propagating along the straight-line trajectories, and the trajectories distribute as waves. Furthermore, the photon chamber experiments show that, withing a macroscopic distance from the double slit, the pattern is non-interference, which indicates that the standard double slit experiments violate the standard wave interpretations in the area near the diaphragm. In this article, we utilize two new methods to study how the non-interference pattern (near the double slit) evolving to the interference pattern (far from it). The experiments show, the first time, that (1) the shape of the pattern are distance-dependent, when the distance increases, the non-interference pattern evolves to the interference pattern, which indicates that the non-wave nature and the wave distribution coexist in the same wave experiment; (2) the light beams behave as photons near the double slit. The experiments: (1) provide novel phenomena/data for further theoretical development of the established optics and for understanding the nature of the light; (2) show the Feynman’s mystery in the different perspectives; (3) provide three methods that show the non-wave pattern in standard wave experiments and can be utilized to develop the classical optics further.
Quantum interference is a challenging phenomenon in quantum optics. According to this principle of superposition of quantum mechanics, elementary particles such as photon can not only be in more than one place at a given time, but that an individual particle can cross its own trajectory and interfere with the direction of its path. Thomas Young devised the double slit experiment to prove that light consisted of waves. Analysis of the double slit experiment and the interference pattern indicates that each photon not only goes through both the slits simultaneously, but traverses every possible trajectory on the way to the target, not just in theory, but in fact. In the present work we have analysed the situation in terms of quantum superposition and Schrodinger cat states in quantum optics. The nature of photon in this analysis is examined
Young’s double slit experiments, which represent the mystery of quantum mechanics, have been described by the optic wave theory, the electromagnetic wave (EM wave) theory and pilot wave theory. Recently, the coexistence of the particle nature and the wave distribution of light in double slit experiments has been confirmed. In this article we utilize the photon chamber to detect the traces of the light beam in the double slit experiments, namely to visualize the particle nature of the light beam, while the wave-like distribution is visualized by the interference pattern. The existence of the light tracks indicates the particle nature of the light beam in the wave experiments. Furthermore, we cover the two sides of the chamber by copper foil for shielding the electromagnetic (EM) wave. If the light beams were the EM waves, then the interference pattern would be disturbed. The experiments show that the light behave as particles moving through the photon chamber, while distribute as wave without being disturbed. Thus, the double slit photon chamber experiments visually challenge the optical wave theory, EM wave theory, but support the pilot wave theory at far field. The experiments in this article confirm the conclusions of the previous modified double slit experiments. But, the experimental devices, experimental setups and experimental observations are totally different. The experiments in this article make the mystery of the double slit experiments even more mysterious. The photon chamber is inexpensive and may be used to study the nature of the light.
Young’s double slit experiment was called as "a phenomenon […] has in it the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mystery. We cannot make the mystery go away by ‘explaining’ how it works". To study the mystery, we perform the non-crossing-slit-experiments and crossing-slit experiments and show phenomena: (1) in the same double slit or cross double slit experiments, the non-interference patterns gradually evolve to the interference patterns; (2) in the same single slit or cross single slit experiments, the non-diffraction patterns gradually evolve to the diffraction patterns; (3) in the same two-non-parallel-slits experiment, the non-wave patterns gradually evolve to the hybrid pattern (i.e., interference-pattern-embedded-in-diffraction-pattern); (4) in the same curved-double slit experiments, the non-interference patterns evolve to Seashell-shape interference patterns. The above phenomena show new mysteries that are more mysterious than that of the double slit experiments: it is challenge to consistently explain how they work. Those novel phenomena indicate that the standard theories of the double slit are incomplete. Novel experiments bring the search for the new theory of physical/quantum optics.