Wavefunction collapse - experimental proof?

[maxydelanoche]

Have you recently came across and remember titles of papers about real experiments concerning the famous double slit electron behaviour?

I have found some about electron diffraction, but I'm still looking for those that showed how interference pattern is broken when we watch where the electron goes. Could anyone help? I just keep wondering how they managed to prove these cool things experimentally - directly on those small scales, or somehow indirectly, or...? :)

 

[Naty1]

There is no experimental proof of wavefunction collapse.

You might want to look at the more contemporary 'quantum decoherence':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_decoherence#Measurement

which provides an insight into 'wavefunction collapse'...



You can read a synopsis regarding the double slit experiment here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment

 

[maxydelanoche]

Hm, maybe wavefunction collapse wasn't the happiest choice of words. What I wanted to have a look at is - actually you've really helped - are papers mentioned at the end of paragraph:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment#With_particle_detectors_at_the_slits
so, the experimental results of what happens when detectors are placed :)

 

[Cthugha]

A version of the double slit with only one electron present in the setup at any time was performed in 1989 by researchers from Hitachi ("Demonstration of single‐electron buildup of an interference pattern", American Journal of Physics 57, 117 (1989)).

A short video clip describing the experiment can still be found on the Hitachi webpage: http://www.hitachi.com/rd/research/em/doubleslit.html