Can we do double slit experiment using quasiparticles?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of conducting a double slit experiment using quasiparticles, specifically phonons. Participants explore the theoretical implications and practical challenges of such an experiment, touching on concepts from quantum mechanics and solid-state physics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that phonons, as quantized lattice vibrations, could potentially be used in a double slit experiment, provided that methods for their emission and detection are developed.
  • Others mention that while the double slit experiment may not directly apply, there is ongoing research into interferometry with quasiparticles, particularly in quantum Hall states.
  • One participant questions the applicability of phonons in the double slit context, suggesting that their confinement as quantized modes may limit their use in such experiments.
  • Another participant argues that interference effects from phonons could be observed, likening it to a double slit experiment but noting that the experimental setup would differ significantly from that used with photons.
  • There is a suggestion that experiments could be conducted within materials like spin-ice or using specific lattice configurations to facilitate phonon detection.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the applicability of phonons in double slit experiments, with no consensus reached. Some agree on the potential for interference effects, while others raise concerns about the limitations imposed by the nature of phonons.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the need for controlled emission and detection methods for phonons, as well as the distinction between quasiparticles and atoms. The discussion also reflects uncertainty regarding the experimental setups required to observe phonon interference.

kof9595995
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Can we do double slit experiment using ,let's say phonons.
 
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Aren't atoms quasiparticles?
 
kof9595995 said:
Can we do double slit experiment using ,let's say phonons.

You'd need to discover them in nature first, then develop controlled means of emission and detection, or source existing ones, but I don't see why not.
 
Not sure about the double slit experiment as such, but there is certainly a lot of research on doing interferometry experiments with quasiparticles, especially quantum hall states. There are quite clever Mach-Zender interferometers you can design for QH quasiparticles.
 
Frame Dragger said:
You'd need to discover them in nature first, then develop controlled means of emission and detection, or source existing ones, but I don't see why not.

phonons=quantized lattice vibrations.
There are a lot of other examples of quasiparticles. One good example are excitons, which are bound states of one electron and one hole in a semiconductor.
 
cesiumfrog said:
Aren't atoms quasiparticles?

No, not really. However, a collective excitation of a two or more atoms can create a quasiparticle.
 
f95toli said:
No, not really. However, a collective excitation of a two or more atoms can create a quasiparticle.
So two or more nucleons is insufficient, and "quasiparticle" is more specific than just "a complex that can be treated as if it were a single fictional particle"?
 
It seems strange to me if phonons can be used for double slits experiment. Because phonon is a quantization of normal modes of vibrations of solids, so doesn't it mean phonon is define to be "confined" in a sense? While double slit experiment uses traveling wave, so it seems a little weird to me.
 
The atom in the lattics vibrate and the collective mode is phonon. The wave on the lattices can have the interference, so it is possible to observe there interfernce, which can be thought as one kind of double slit experiment. Just the setup may be different dramatically from the setup to photon.
 
  • #10
thinkingboy said:
The atom in the lattics vibrate and the collective mode is phonon. The wave on the lattices can have the interference, so it is possible to observe there interfernce, which can be thought as one kind of double slit experiment. Just the setup may be different dramatically from the setup to photon.

So the only difference is phonon interference can never be projected on a scree at distance?
 
  • #11
Maybe the entire test could be done within something like a spin-ice. Anyway, I can imagine using filaments of the lattice material, or building the detectors within the lattice.

@kof95959595: Well, probably not, unless you could make the transmitting filaments part of the lattice, (and not filaments). I think constructing a solid which tapers to a point (somewhat like the tip of a SEM), might allow distance to be covered.

There is also the use of a sonic black hole to study phonons, but it would not be "clicks on a detector" or "dots on a screen"... yeah.
 

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