Double slit experiment with magnetic traps

[Marcin]

This is perhaps a good time to pause, reflect and consider learning a bit more about QM, what it says and what it doesn't say.

There is not a lot of point in arguing about things that are well-established, theoretically and experimentally.

Thx for all the answers.

 

[Marcin]

The magnetic induction measurement...is a measurement. That's why we use expressions like, oh, say, "measure the magnetic induction" (which is what you said in the OP of this thread) to describe it.

Correct. The difference is that I don't measure the effect or presence of a single electron, but the effect caused by the whole bunch of them. This is my idea of preventing the collapse of individual electrons, however stupid it sounds.

 

[PeterDonis]

I don't measure the effect or presence of a single electron, but the effect caused by the whole bunch of them.

In other words, you run a large number of electrons through the experiment, and then measure the magnetic induction in each of the traps?

This is my idea of preventing the collapse of individual electrons

It won't.

First, you'll have the problem that magnetic traps can't store large numbers of electrons--the Pauli exclusion principle prevents it (there are only a small number of states the electrons in the trap can be in, and once those states are filled you're done, the trap can't hold any more electrons).

Second, when you do the magnetic induction measurement, you'll just get two numbers for magnetic induction that will be approximately equal (since each electron has basically a 50-50 chance to go into one trap vs. the other). You won't get anything that shows interference between the electrons (which pretty much invalidates the point of doing a double slit experiment in the first place).

Third, even though you have multiple electrons in both traps, you haven't "prevented collapse"; you've just changed the states that the electrons collapse into when you make the magnetic induction measurement, as compared to the case where you only have one electron and it has a 50-50 chance to be in either trap. (The states change because if the presence of multiple electrons in the trap affects the energy levels of the states, due to the Coulomb repulsion between the electrons.)

 

[Marcin]

@PeterDonis I get it, you've made it clear. Thank you.