Decoherence
The double-slit experiment.
The double-slit experiment is all about light. As photographers, we use light in a creative way. In the double-slit experiment, we observe the remarkable properties of light. Much has already been written about wave-particle duality. As part of a Java programming assignment at the school where I teach, I created this simulation. In this screen recording, you can see the interference pattern emerge, one photon at a time. After ten seconds, the simulation makes a measurement at the slits. Because of this measurement, the light loses its wave-like property. The interference pattern then collapses into two bands, to the left and right of center. In quantum mechanics, this is called decoherence - the transition from wave-like to particle-like behavior of light.
Decoherence
The double-slit experiment.
The double-slit experiment is all about light. As photographers, we use light in a creative way. In the double-slit experiment, we observe the remarkable properties of light. Much has already been written about wave-particle duality. As part of a Java programming assignment at the school where I teach, I created this simulation. In this screen recording, you can see the interference pattern emerge, one photon at a time. After ten seconds, the simulation makes a measurement at the slits. Because of this measurement, the light loses its wave-like property. The interference pattern then collapses into two bands, to the left and right of center. In quantum mechanics, this is called decoherence - the transition from wave-like to particle-like behavior of light.