In the context of the double-slit interference experiment, what exactly does “observation” mean? Specifically, does the act of visual observation by intelligent creatures, such as humans, play a role in determining whether light behaves as a particle or a wave?
I’m trying to understand how the concept of observation impacts the behavior of light in this experiment. How is observation defined in the quantum mechanical sense, and what role does it play in the interference pattern observed on the screen? Does merely looking at the experiment change the outcome, or is there a more technical aspect to what “observation” entails in this scenario?
Any detailed explanations or references to relevant quantum mechanics principles would be greatly appreciated!
I’ve been deliberately avoiding this question. By asking me to answer, you either honor me or hate me. I can’t tell. I respect you anyways, brother. I hope you have been paying attention.
The double slit experiment.
For every system, there is an extent to its expanse. (+, -) The further you get from the origin, the closer you come to the boundary.
For every system, there is an extent to the scale of its properties. (×, ÷) The further you get from the origin, the closer you come to the boundary.
Human language is such a clumsy thing. There is danger in defining words too specifically. So, I will not define observation. In order to receive information from a system, part of the system must be removed.
What we call quantum is not the building block of the universe. Quantum is the boundary. The boundary is where the system breaks down. When you remove information from the system, it breaks down further. There is a limit.
So, can visual observation by a conscious observer cause the state of light to shift from particle to wave or vice versa?
Waves exist, but a wave is not a thing. A wave is an event within a thing. Light is not a wave. You can try to reason this out with words, but once again, human language is such a clumsy thing.
Picture a wave in your mind instead. Chances are your mental image is a squiggly black line on a white background. Let’s just go with that, but the wave can be in any form, longitudinal or transverse. It doesn’t matter. In your mental picture, something is waving. With the squiggly black line on the white background, that something is the line. But we say light is a wave. Okay, picture a wave in your mind without the black line, where there is nothing waving, just the wave itself. You will eventually find that a wave is not a thing. A wave is an event within a thing.
In order to receive information from a system, part of the system must be removed. What happens when a wave breaks? Energy is conserved and has to go somewhere. In something that is not solid, the energy scatters. In the ocean, water is separated from the body of water in a spray of droplets.
But the double slit can be done with single particles, so where is the wave? What is waving? How can a single particle interfere with itself? It can’t.
You need a background medium through which the particle moves, or is part of, that is capable of forming into a current or flow that travels with the particle. The best candidate is a field of some sort.
So, if a conscious observer is knowingly or unknowingly removing information contained in such a field, then yes, a conscious observer could shift the behavior of quanta in a double slit experiment.
That leaves the quantum eraser experiment out. It is not time for that.
Best wishes, my friend.