![]() ![]() Single-electron double-slit diffraction was first demonstrated in 1974 by Giulio Pozzi and colleagues at the University of Bologna in Italy, who passed single electrons through a biprism – an electron optical device that serves the same function as a double slit – and observed the build-up of a diffraction pattern. But while Jönsson’s work clearly illustrated that a beam of electrons can behave as a wave, it did not establish a crucial point of Feynman’s experiment – that an individual electron itself can behave like a wave. When the third volume of The Feynman Lectures on Physics was published in 1965, physicists already knew that firing a beam of electrons at a double slit results in a diffraction pattern because the experiment had been performed in 1961 by Claus Jönsson at the University of Tübingen in Germany. But if one were to cover up one of the slits so that each electron could only pass through the other slit, the diffraction pattern would not appear – showing that each electron does indeed travel through both slits. In the book, he invites the reader to imagine firing individual electrons through two slits and then marking the position where each electron strikes a screen behind the slits.Īfter many electrons have passed through the slits, the marks on the screen will comprise a diffraction pattern – illustrating the wave-like behaviour of each electron. Although the researchers are not the first to recreate the experiment in the lab, they say that their incarnation best captures the essence of the original exercise.įeynman originally outlined his thought experiment in volume three of his famous series The Feynman Lectures on Physics as a way of illustrating wave–particle duality in quantum mechanics. Physicists in the US and Canada say that they have done the best job yet of realizing Richard Feynman’s famous thought experiment about how single electrons pass through two slits. Webinars Tune into online presentations that allow expert speakers to explain novel tools and applications.Video Watch our specially filmed videos to get a different slant on the latest science.Podcasts Our regular conversations with inspiring figures from the scientific community.Audio and video Explore the sights and sounds of the scientific world.Women in physics Celebrating women in physics and their contributions to the field.Supercool physics Experiments that probe the exotic behaviour of matter at ultralow temperatures depend on the latest cryogenics technology.The science and business of space Explore the latest trends and opportunities associated with designing, building, launching and exploiting space-based technologies.Revolutions in computing Find out how scientists are exploiting digital technologies to understand online behaviour and drive research progress.Nanotechnology in action The challenges and opportunities of turning advances in nanotechnology into commercial products.#BlackInPhysics Celebrating Black physicists and revealing a more complete picture of what a physicist looks like.Artificial intelligence Explore the ways in which today’s world relies on AI, and ponder how this technology might shape the world of tomorrow.Collections Explore special collections that bring together our best content on trending topics.Innovation showcases A round-up of the latest innovation from our corporate partners.Projects and facilities Follow the latest progress at the world’s top scientific experiments.Policy and funding Understand how emerging policy changes could affect your work and career.Education and outreach Learn about novel approaches to educating and inspiring the scientists of the future.Business and innovation Find out how recent scientific breakthroughs are driving business innovation and commercial growth.Impact Explore the value of scientific research for industry, the economy and society.Personalities Find out who’s doing what in industry and academia.Interviews Discover the views of leading figures in the scientific community. ![]()
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