Double-Slit Experiment & Wave Interference

[StevieTNZ]

In regards to the double-slit experiment, where two waves cancel each other out (causing destructive interference), does that cancel out the particle too? I would assume all particles would form the light areas of the interference pattern.

Just don't understand how the light/dark bands are created. If the particle were a wave, and that wave subsequently canceled by joining with it's twin partner (i.e. the wave coming from the other slit), then the particle has gone bye bye. But I don't think you can destroy particles - and the particle doesn't exist at any more than one point on the screen so having the two waves cross destructively and constructively along the whole screen would seem to make the particle be at more than one location on that screen...

*shrug*

 

[Varon]

The best explanation is that before measurements, the particle doesn't exist. Bohr, Born, Heisenberg, Wheeler believe in that, so let's just believe them. Where is the particle then before measurement? Just assume there is a actual analogue of Hilbert space, a mystical realm where cats can be in ghostly superposition. This is more elegant than the boring and Newtonian based Many worlds.

 

[Fyzix]

The best explanation is that before measurements, the particle doesn't exist. Bohr, Born, Heisenberg, Wheeler believe in that, so let's just believe them. Where is the particle then before measurement? Just assume there is a actual analogue of Hilbert space, a mystical realm where cats can be in ghostly superposition. This is more elegant than the boring and Newtonian based Many worlds.

Varon, haven't you spent the last week asking these questions like a complete layman? Don't you think you should learn some more before you start giving out "explanations"...

 

[DrChinese]

In regards to the double-slit experiment, where two waves cancel each other out (causing destructive interference), does that cancel out the particle too? I would assume all particles would form the light areas of the interference pattern.

Just don't understand how the light/dark bands are created. If the particle were a wave, and that wave subsequently canceled by joining with it's twin partner (i.e. the wave coming from the other slit), then the particle has gone bye bye. But I don't think you can destroy particles - and the particle doesn't exist at any more than one point on the screen so having the two waves cross destructively and constructively along the whole screen would seem to make the particle be at more than one location on that screen...

*shrug*

The particle is not canceled out. The probability of it appearing at a particular spot can increase or decrease.

 

[jtbell]

To put it another way, the particles are "redistributed" from where they would have been if there were no interference: the minima have fewer particles and the maxima have more.

 

[zonde]

Just don't understand how the light/dark bands are created. If the particle were a wave, and that wave subsequently canceled by joining with it's twin partner (i.e. the wave coming from the other slit), then the particle has gone bye bye. But I don't think you can destroy particles - and the particle doesn't exist at any more than one point on the screen so having the two waves cross destructively and constructively along the whole screen would seem to make the particle be at more than one location on that screen...

If you talk about matter particles then you can assume that they are redistributed. Like jtbell said.
I believe you won't run into experiment that contradicts this explanation.

But if you would assume the same for photons then definitely you would be in trouble with other photon experiments.
For photons you can get more consistent picture if you assume that more photons are absorbed as heat in areas of destructive interference and less - in areas of constructive interference.

 

[StevieTNZ]

So the particle is two waves that add up so where there is a particle on the screen those two waves added. But don't talk about a particle being two waves that cancel each other out on the screen.

Except of course in the case of photons where it is appropriate to say such things.

 

[Matterwave]

What's being canceled out at the minima is the wave-function, not the particle. The wave-function is a measure of the probability of finding the particle at some particular point. So, the only thing being canceled out is the chance that the particle appears at the minimum.