Must have gone through one of the slits

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior of buckyballs in a double-slit experiment, exploring the implications of quantum mechanics on particle behavior, wave-particle duality, and interpretations of quantum theory such as Bohmian mechanics. Participants engage in a conceptual examination of whether buckyballs can be said to pass through one slit or both, and the nature of their position in quantum mechanics.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that a buckyball must have gone through one of the slits while its associated wave passes through both, suggesting a 50-50 probability.
  • Others challenge the assumption that classical particle behavior applies in the quantum realm, arguing that quantum mechanics does not necessitate that particles have definite positions.
  • There is a discussion about the nature of coin flips and how imperfections in the slits may affect the symmetry of the interference pattern.
  • Some participants propose that Bohmian mechanics might provide a framework for understanding particles having definite positions and momenta at all times.
  • Concerns are raised regarding the interpretation of quantum mechanics, with some suggesting that the behavior of buckyballs and other molecules in experiments may not align with classical intuitions.
  • Participants discuss the implications of environmental interactions on quantum behavior, questioning the threshold for what constitutes the "quantum world."
  • There is a contention about whether a molecule can split or disappear in a quantum context, with some arguing that it is more plausible for the wave to interfere while the molecule passes through one slit.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the interpretation of quantum mechanics as it applies to buckyballs, with no consensus reached on whether particles have definite positions or how to interpret their behavior in the double-slit experiment.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the limitations of classical interpretations in quantum mechanics and the unresolved nature of certain assumptions regarding particle behavior and wave functions.

  • #31
Fredrik said:
There isn't even one candidate theory of what's really going on that makes different predictions than QM.

wait till you hear my hypothesis about a dimension outside space-time...it explains everything within QM...lol..;)
 
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  • #32
San K said:
i can buy a photon splitting into two waves...but not a molecule

its possible that photon's movement through the slits is a bit different from the buckyball's

I am selling photons! :smile:

For purposes of this analogy, the process is the same for the buckyball. See here:

http://hexagon.physics.wisc.edu/teaching/2010s%20ph531%20quantum%20mechanics/interesting%20papers/zeilinger%20large%20molecule%20interference%20ajp%202003.pdf
 
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  • #33
DrChinese said:
I am selling photons! :smile:

For purposes of this analogy, the process is the same for the buckyball. See here:

http://hexagon.physics.wisc.edu/teaching/2010s%20ph531%20quantum%20mechanics/interesting%20papers/zeilinger%20large%20molecule%20interference%20ajp%202003.pdf

ha ha...ok...i will have to stop buying photons...;)

great paper...however it does not agree/disagree with the idea that the molecule might have passed through one of the slits and the waves through both...

thus...for both photon and buckyball...i think ...they pass through one of the slits and their associated waves through both and these waves effect the "solid" part of the photon/buckyball
 
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