Exploring the Double Slit Experiment: The Mystery of Empty Space on the Screen

[Sdog]

General question to members, when you look at the results and the interference pattern of the double slit experiment for electrons. Does anyone have information on what the empty space is on the screen. The electrons fixed location on the screen shows gaps always. I watched one persons theory that the gaps could be filled with matter we can not see and that's why the elctron never fills the space and gave the example of dark matter filling the space on the assumption that there is no such thing absolute nothing were no photon or lowest level fundamental particle can't be present. Most other papers just describe it as a clear wave form that even appears when electrons are fired one by one. I found the view interesting and slightly confusing. Maybe someone can help

 

[Doc Al]

Does anyone have information on what the empty space is on the screen. The electrons fixed location on the screen shows gaps always.

Why in the world would you think that the gaps are anything other than the absence of electron collisions?

 

[Sdog]

General question to members, when you look at the results and the interference pattern of the double slit experiment for electrons. Does anyone have information on what the empty space is on the screen. The electrons fixed location on the screen shows gaps always. I watched one persons theory that the gaps could be filled with matter we can not see and that's why the elctron never fills the space and gave the example of dark matter filling the space on the assumption that there is no such thing absolute nothing were no photon or lowest level fundamental particle can't be present. Most other papers just describe it as a clear wave form that even appears when electrons are fired one by one. I found the view interesting and slightly confusing. Maybe someone can help

Why in the world would you think that the gaps are anything other than the absence of electron collisions?

Why in the world would you think that the gaps are anything other than the absence of electron collisions?

Why in the world would you think that the gaps are anything other than the absence of electron collisions?

That was my thought

 

[rekoj]

From what i read particles cannot diffract and create interference patterns or interact with themselves. therefore what's left is waves which can do all of those things. You got constructive and destructive interference where waves nullify and where they reinforce which are peaks or interference patterns seen. To put it in short if you use waves only as double slit interpretation all the confusing concepts are gone and it all starts making perfect sense. Consider electron wave and proton wave. Factually testable that a proton which was measured to 1 mile long exists. Thus particle does not have such property.

 

[Nugatory]

Does anyone have information on what the empty space is on the screen.

That "screen" is a piece of photographic film (or its modern equivalent based on digital camera technology, but it's easier to understand what's going on if you think in terms of the older technology). The dots are places where a photon has hit the film and darkened the grain of silver nitrate it struck; the "empty space" between dots is just film that hasn't been darkened yet. Expose the film long enough (that is, send enough photons at it) and eventually you'll get dots even in low probability areas, but of course you'll still get many more in the high probability areas, so the developed film will still show an interference pattern. Expose it even longer and eventually every single grain of silver nitrate will have been hit and you'll have an ordinary piece of overdeveloped film.

 

[Nugatory]

To put it in short if you use waves only as double slit interpretation all the confusing concepts are gone and it all starts making perfect sense.

Well, sort of... But the wave model cannot explain why the interference pattern builds up one dot at a time - this is the essential difference between the quantum mechanical double-slit experiment and the classical experiment done by Young early in the 19th century.

 

[rekoj]

About the interference pattern that builds up one dot at atime. If i remember correctly i saw a hitachi video clip where they show interference patterns developing over time shooting "one photon" at a time. Basically what they show is that interference pattern is present all the way its just that you can only see that by some kind of amplification of illumination. And particle explanation runs into at least say 4 problems that as it is obvious need kinda science fiction explanations while wave explanation has but only this 1 problem. However we look at it by occam razor we would be wiser if we pursued the wave explanation and tried to resolve this particular curiosity which as i mentioned before seems to be allready resolved since it was shown that interference pattern is present from the first photon onward..

 

[rekoj]

To add why interference pattern builds up one dot at atime one possible explanation is that wave self interferes which points at a possibility of faster than light travel of original signal. Just an idea that seems to be very unpopular but light speed barrier as i understand it through papers i read refers to matter only. Waves don't have mass so superluminal speed doesn't seem an impossibility.