Has a Double Slit Experiment Been Conducted in a Vacuum Tube?

[dave1223]

i.e a vacuum tube. using the gate in a triode to adjust the amplification of the electrons. i guess you would have to have a photographic plate attached to the anode but this shouldnt effect the operation of the valve. just a thought... not sure where you would put the detector, maybe it would work outside the glass... you would put the slit between the gate and the anode or the gate and the cathode...

 

[Drakkith]

Even if you could, why would you? You wouldn't get any difference in results than a normal experiment.

 

[dave1223]

well, considering the amount of variations on the double slit experiments that have been tried and the number of times it has been repeated, i would say its probably worth a try

 

[DennisN]

i.e a vacuum tube.

The double slit experiment has been made with other objects than photons (i.e light), e.g. electrons and C₆₀ molecules.

At the moment I don't remember if the electron version of the experiment is done in vacuum, but I wouldn't be surprised... I think it is... I'll look around for it.

But it is my understanding that the C₆₀ version of the experiment has been done in vacuum, quote:

A significant advantage of the thermionic mechanism is that it does not detect any of the residual gases
present in the vacuum chamber. We could thus achieve dark count rates of less than one per second even under moderately high vacuum conditions (5 x 10^-7 mbar).

[...]

The vacuum chamber is rigidly mounted on an optical table together with the ionizing laser, in order to minimize spatial drifts.

Source: Wave–particle duality of C60 molecules (by Arndt et al, Letters to Nature)

Edit, note: Above I assumed that you were interested in whether the experiment has the same result in vacuum as in air at normal pressure.

 

[vanhees71]

The electron version is usually done in a vacuum. See, e.g.,

https://pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/article-abstract/42/1/4/1049574/Electron-Diffraction-at-Multiple-Slits

 

[dave1223]

the electronic valve (vacuum tube) acts as an amplifier/suppressor, so it is not just about having a vacuum.

 

[Drakkith]

There's nothing fundamentally different about doing the double slit experiment inside a vacuum tube than anywhere else. This is analogous to rolling a ball down the aisle of a bus vs a train vs a plane. Sure the carpet might be different, but you're still just rolling a ball on a surface. The electrons don't care where they are at. They'll still react to fields, barriers, and detectors just the same no matter where you put them.

 

[Vanadium 50]

If this thread turns into us giving you examples you adding new criteria as we do so to explain why the examples don't "count", this will get very old very fast.

Why don't you tell us where you are going with this (assuming it is in line with the PF rules, of course)?

 

[vanhees71]

Hm, I don't know, whether the double-slit experiment with electrons is feasible just at normal air pressure. I don't know, what's the mean free path of electrons in air under normal conditions. For sure it's also dependent on the electrons' energy.

 

[kered rettop]

From a quick Google, it's reasonable to suppose a mfp of several microns. So the apparatus would have to be much smaller than this. You might be able to fabricate something on a silicon chip. :)