Understanding the Mystery of Electrons: The Laser Slit Test

In summary, the conversation discusses the behavior of electrons when observed and not observed. When observed, they act as particles, but when not observed, they act as waves. This is due to interactions with the electrons influencing their behavior. The conversation also addresses the concept of time and how the electrons can instantly change at the point of observation. The discussion also touches on the relationship between wave-like behavior and observation in the two-slit experiment. The concept of quantum entanglement is also brought up, with the understanding that it does not involve the transmission of information and can involve non-local influences. The possibility of objects influencing each other faster than the speed of light is also mentioned. In summary, the conversation delves into the complexities and mysteries of quantum
  • #1
DeepSpace9
57
1
So the laser test with the slits is as followed as far as I understand.

When observed, electrons act as particles.
When not observed, electrons act as waves.

How can electrons know if your eyes are open or closed? Unless your eyes give off some wort of radiation that it can pick up on.

Also when the electrons are not observed and go through the slits, than are observed on the other end. They instantly change, how can they go back and time and change? Because they instantly change at the point of the gun.
 
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  • #2
When observed, electrons act as particles.
When not observed, electrons act as waves.
You cannot say this. Well, taken literally, you can, but it is not right.

Interactions with the electrons (to observe it) can influence the electron and change how it behaves. Expressed like that, it sounds trivial, right?

They instantly change, how can they go back and time and change?
There is no need to go back in time.

Because they instantly change at the point of the gun.
No.
 
  • #3
mfb said:
You cannot say this. Well, taken literally, you can, but it is not right.

Interactions with the electrons (to observe it) can influence the electron and change how it behaves. Expressed like that, it sounds trivial, right?


There is no need to go back in time.


No.


How do scientists know they act like waves? Wouldn't they have to observe the electron acting as a wave for this to be true, but that contradicts the face that, when they are observed they turn to particles.

When scientists look on the other side of the slit, the electrons instantly turn to particles. They go back in time, meaning the electrons that have already left the gun instantly turn to particles when observed. If they have already left the gun as a wave, how could it change to particle?
 
  • #4
DeepSpace9 said:
How do scientists know they act like waves? Wouldn't they have to observe the electron acting as a wave for this to be true, but that contradicts the face that, when they are observed they turn to particles?

The way the experiment works, we can use an electron source so weak that it only emits electrons one at a time. An electron leaves the source and eventually hits the screen, where it leaves a tiny dot. Every time we see another dot appear, we know that another electron has been emitted. There's no wave-like behavior going on here; each electron leaves a single dot where it hits just as if it were a tiny rifle bullet.

But... If we run the experiment long enough to build up a pattern of thousands of those little dots we don't see two spots, one behind each slit, as we would with particles acting like little bullets. We see the interference pattern that would be produced by waves passing through the two slits, with many electron dots at the points where the peaks of the waves line up, and few where a peak and a trough cancel each other.

This is how we see wave-like behavior without trying to observe and measure each electron.
 
  • #5
Thanks a lot that really clears it up a bit more.
 
  • #6
DeepSpace, the transactional interpretation gives a nice account of quantum enigmas such as the 2 - slit experiment. I discuss this in detail in my new book,

http://www.cambridge.org/us/knowledge/discountpromotion/?site_locale=en_US&code=L2TIQM

and you can find some introductory and preview material at my website,

http://transactionalinterpretation.org/

Best wishes,
Ruth Kastner
 
  • #7
What about quantum entanglement? Does this mean, there is something that can travel over the speed of light?
 
  • #8
I would not call it "something". In particular, you cannot transmit any information via entangled particles. You can show that theories have to be non-local (=> objects can influence other objects (in a specific way) faster than the speed of light) if you want them to satisfy some other conditions at the same time.
 
  • #9
DeepSpace, in my interpretation the nonlocal influences are at the level of possibility. They are physically real, but not contained in spacetime.
 
  • #10
DeepSpace9 said:
What about quantum entanglement? Does this mean, there is something that can travel over the speed of light?

Space can expand faster than the speed of light. The speed of light is only for particles like photons, etc... Seems that "information" or empty space can do whatever the heck they want to.
 

1. What is the Laser Slit Test?

The Laser Slit Test is an experiment that involves passing a laser beam through a narrow slit and observing the resulting pattern on a screen. It is used to study the behavior of electrons and understand their mysterious properties.

2. How does the Laser Slit Test help in understanding electrons?

The Laser Slit Test allows scientists to observe the wave-like behavior of electrons. This is because when the laser beam passes through the slit, it diffracts and produces an interference pattern on the screen. This suggests that electrons also exhibit wave-like properties, which was previously unknown.

3. What does the Laser Slit Test reveal about the nature of electrons?

The Laser Slit Test reveals that electrons have both particle-like and wave-like properties, known as wave-particle duality. This means that they can behave like particles in some situations and like waves in others, depending on how they are observed.

4. Why is the Laser Slit Test important in the field of quantum mechanics?

The Laser Slit Test is important in quantum mechanics because it provides evidence for the wave-particle duality of electrons, which is a fundamental concept in this field. It also allows scientists to study the behavior of electrons in a controlled environment and make predictions about their behavior in other situations.

5. What are some practical applications of the Laser Slit Test?

The Laser Slit Test has practical applications in various fields, such as electronics, telecommunications, and medical imaging. It is used to manipulate and control the behavior of electrons in devices like transistors and lasers. It is also used in electron microscopy to produce high-resolution images of tiny objects, such as biological samples.

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