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Double Slit Experiment in the Non-Commutative Plane and the Quantum-to-Classical Transition

Frederik G. Scholtz

Published Jan 15, 2021• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We explore a possible connection between non-commutative space and the quantum-to-classical transition by computing the outcome of a double slit experiment in the non-commutative plane. We find that the interference term undergoes a Gaussian suppression at high momentum, which translates into a mass dependent suppression for composite objects and the emergence of classical behaviour at macroscopic scales.

Related papers

Quantum interference on the non-commutative plane and the quantum-to-classical transition

I B Pittaway, Frederik G. Scholtz

Abstract We explore a possible link between the structure of space at short length scales and the emergence of classical phenomena at macroscopic scales. To this end we adopt the paradigm of non-commutative space at short length scales and explicitly compute the outcomes of a double slit experiment and a von Neumann measurement in the non-commutative plane. A very consistent picture of a continuous quantum-to-classical transition emerges. The mechanism driving this transition is standard decoherence, which arises quite naturally from the tensor product structure of the non-commutative quantum Hilbert space. The double slit calculation enables us to establish a lower bound on the non-commutative parameter for this transition to become effective at particle numbers of the order of Avogadro’s number. Similarly, the result of the von Neumann measurement establishes a criterion involving the non-commutative parameter, apparatus size and coupling between system and apparatus for classicality to emerge.

arXiv:2101.06108•Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical•Mar 13, 2023•6 citations

Pinhole interference in three-dimensional fuzzy space

Dario Trinchero, Frederik G. Scholtz

We investigate a quantum-to-classical transition which arises naturally within the fuzzy sphere formalism for three-dimensional non-commutative quantum mechanics. This transition may be understood as the mechanism of decoherence, but without requiring an additional external heat bath. We focus on treating a two-pinhole interference configuration within this formalism, as it provides an illustrative toy model for which this transition is readily observed and quantified. Specifically, we demonstrate a suppression of the quantum interference effects for objects passing through the pinholes with sufficiently-high energies or numbers of constituent particles. Our work extends a similar treatment of the double slit experiment by Pittaway and Scholtz (2021) within the two-dimensional Moyal plane, only it addresses two key shortcomings that arise in that context. These are, firstly that the interference pattern in the Moyal plane lacks the expected reflection symmetry present in the pinhole setup, and secondly that the quantum-to-classical transition manifested in the Moyal plane occurs only at unrealistically high velocities and/or particle numbers. Both of these issues are solved in the fuzzy sphere framework.

arXiv:2212.01449•Dec 2, 2022•0 citations

Why the Double-Slit Experiment Does Not Ask "How": A Configurational Comparison of Quantum Interpretations

Štěpán Sekanina

This article examines the double-slit experiment from a configurational perspective and compares it with the standard quantum-mechanical, Bohmian, and Many-Worlds interpretations. Rather than focusing on microscopic trajectories or wavefunction collapse, the work argues that the central question posed by the experiment is not “how” individual particles behave, but “why” a stable interference pattern emerges with overwhelming statistical certainty. By framing the experiment in terms of constrained configuration spaces and typicality, the article shows that interference can be understood as an inevitable macroscopic outcome, not a mysterious dynamical process.

•Jan 12, 2025•0 citations

A Double‐Slit Experiment for Non‐Classical Interference Effects in Decision Making

Pierfrancesco La Mura

We discuss the possible nature and role of non-physical entanglement, and the classical vs. non-classical interface, in models of human decision-making. We also introduce an experimental setting designed after the double-slit experiment in physics, and discuss how it could be used to discriminate between classical and non-classical interference effects in human decisions.

Topics in Cognitive Science•Nov 21, 2013•1 citation

Causal Non-Local Cavity-Induced Discrete Momentum Transfer in Double-Slit Interference Without Copenhagen’s Wavefunction Collapse and Self-Interference

Jau Tang, Chien-Cheng Chang

Double-slit interference is one of the most fundamental quantum phenomena among photons and other particles. We propose a novel and realist quantum framework in which interference patterns in double-slit experiments arise not from wavefunction self-interference or collapse, but from causal non-local, quantized cavity-induced momentum exchange between the electron and the double-slit field potential. Unlike Copenhagen or Bohmian interpretations, our theory treats the electron as a deterministic, soliton-like entity governed by classical-like trajectories. The quantized potential of the slits—described via creation and annihilation operators—is responsible for discrete momentum transfer through coupling with cavity or barrier modes, modeled via octonionic algebra that differentiates internal particle structure from external field dynamics. The resulting interference pattern emerges from non-local, quantized interactions between the electron and field modes without invoking the probabilistic wavefunction. Our model aligns with experimental violations of Bell’s inequality and avoids conceptual paradoxes such as wavefunction collapse and self-interference. The framework makes several testable predictions, offering a promising new direction for understanding quantum interference with clearer physical realism.

•Jun 13, 2025•0 citations

Experimental Higher-Order Interference in Quantum Mechanics Induced by Optical Nonlinearities

Peter Namdar, Irati Alonso Calafell, Alessandro Trenti +4 more

The double-slit experiment is a direct demonstration of interference between quantum objects. Of course, interference is also observed in experiments using multiple slits. However, according to quantum theory, the interference patterns produced using such multi-slits can all be explained in terms of interference between pairs of slits [1] , [2] . Interestingly, there are proposed versions of quantum theory—so-called higher-order theories—wherein this is not possible [3] . In such theories the "third-order" interference (with three or more slits open) is genuinely different from second-order interference. Here we show that standard quantum mechanics actually allows for apparent high-order interference, if one considers nonlinear effects. Note, that another mechanism for this has also recently been shown based on so-called looped trajectories [4] – [6] .

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•Jun 21, 2021•1 citation
We explore a possible connection between non-commutative space and the quantum-to-classical transition by computing the outcome of a double slit experiment in the non-commutative plane. We find that the interference term undergoes a Gaussian suppression at high momentum, which translates into a mass dependent suppression for composite objects and the emergence of classical behaviour at macroscopic scales.
Abstract We explore a possible link between the structure of space at short length scales and the emergence of classical phenomena at macroscopic scales. To this end we adopt the paradigm of non-commutative space at short length scales and explicitly compute the outcomes of a double slit experiment and a von Neumann measurement in the non-commutative plane. A very consistent picture of a continuous quantum-to-classical transition emerges. The mechanism driving this transition is standard decoherence, which arises quite naturally from the tensor product structure of the non-commutative quantum Hilbert space. The double slit calculation enables us to establish a lower bound on the non-commutative parameter for this transition to become effective at particle numbers of the order of Avogadro’s number. Similarly, the result of the von Neumann measurement establishes a criterion involving the non-commutative parameter, apparatus size and coupling between system and apparatus for classicality to emerge.
We investigate a quantum-to-classical transition which arises naturally within the fuzzy sphere formalism for three-dimensional non-commutative quantum mechanics. This transition may be understood as the mechanism of decoherence, but without requiring an additional external heat bath. We focus on treating a two-pinhole interference configuration within this formalism, as it provides an illustrative toy model for which this transition is readily observed and quantified. Specifically, we demonstrate a suppression of the quantum interference effects for objects passing through the pinholes with sufficiently-high energies or numbers of constituent particles. Our work extends a similar treatment of the double slit experiment by Pittaway and Scholtz (2021) within the two-dimensional Moyal plane, only it addresses two key shortcomings that arise in that context. These are, firstly that the interference pattern in the Moyal plane lacks the expected reflection symmetry present in the pinhole setup, and secondly that the quantum-to-classical transition manifested in the Moyal plane occurs only at unrealistically high velocities and/or particle numbers. Both of these issues are solved in the fuzzy sphere framework.
This article examines the double-slit experiment from a configurational perspective and compares it with the standard quantum-mechanical, Bohmian, and Many-Worlds interpretations. Rather than focusing on microscopic trajectories or wavefunction collapse, the work argues that the central question posed by the experiment is not “how” individual particles behave, but “why” a stable interference pattern emerges with overwhelming statistical certainty. By framing the experiment in terms of constrained configuration spaces and typicality, the article shows that interference can be understood as an inevitable macroscopic outcome, not a mysterious dynamical process.
Double-slit interference is one of the most fundamental quantum phenomena among photons and other particles. We propose a novel and realist quantum framework in which interference patterns in double-slit experiments arise not from wavefunction self-interference or collapse, but from causal non-local, quantized cavity-induced momentum exchange between the electron and the double-slit field potential. Unlike Copenhagen or Bohmian interpretations, our theory treats the electron as a deterministic, soliton-like entity governed by classical-like trajectories. The quantized potential of the slits—described via creation and annihilation operators—is responsible for discrete momentum transfer through coupling with cavity or barrier modes, modeled via octonionic algebra that differentiates internal particle structure from external field dynamics. The resulting interference pattern emerges from non-local, quantized interactions between the electron and field modes without invoking the probabilistic wavefunction. Our model aligns with experimental violations of Bell’s inequality and avoids conceptual paradoxes such as wavefunction collapse and self-interference. The framework makes several testable predictions, offering a promising new direction for understanding quantum interference with clearer physical realism.
The double-slit experiment is a direct demonstration of interference between quantum objects. Of course, interference is also observed in experiments using multiple slits. However, according to quantum theory, the interference patterns produced using such multi-slits can all be explained in terms of interference between pairs of slits [1] , [2] . Interestingly, there are proposed versions of quantum theory—so-called higher-order theories—wherein this is not possible [3] . In such theories the "third-order" interference (with three or more slits open) is genuinely different from second-order interference. Here we show that standard quantum mechanics actually allows for apparent high-order interference, if one considers nonlinear effects. Note, that another mechanism for this has also recently been shown based on so-called looped trajectories [4] – [6] .