Title: Observing The Universe Really Does Change The Outcome, And This Experiment Shows How
Headings: Observing The Universe Really Does Change The Outcome, And This Experiment Shows How
Observing The Universe Really Does Change The Outcome, And This Experiment Shows How
Content: changes the outcome of the experiment. If you measure which slit the quantum passes through, it behaves as though it passes through one and only one slit: it acts like a classical particle. If you don't measure which slit the quantum passes through, it behaves as a wave, acting like it passed through both slits simultaneously and producing an interference pattern. What's actually going on here? To find out, we have to perform more experiments. By setting up a movable mask, you can choose to either block one or both slits for the double slit ... [+]
experiment, seeing what the outcomes are and how they change with the motion of the mask. R. Bach et al., New Journal of Physics, Volume 15, March 2013
One experiment you can set up is to put a movable mask in front of both slits, while still firing electrons through them one-at-a-time. Practically, this has now been accomplished in the following fashion: