What is the largest piece of matter that will exibit wave/partical dualality in a double slit experiment? I know a photon, electron, neutron, proton, and ion, an atom, well how bout an molecule? I heard it stated in a documentary that even mulitple atom molecules exhibit duality....so it is not just light or e.m. energy or quanta that exihibit w.p.d. as is usually taught...what are the implications of this distinction. Thanks ya'll I am a shadetree quantum mechanic and its probably a good thing particle accelerators are so hard to build!
2006-10-11 09:32:01 · 5 answers · asked by akamadscientist 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The experiment has been done with C60 molecules. Check out the article in Nature which says ...
"This molecule is the most massive and complex object in which wave behaviour has been observed"
2006-10-11 19:26:32 · answer #1 · answered by b_physics_guy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The debroglie wavelength can be computed for any matter, no matter it's size. It will be Planck scale short for macroscopic objects as it is inversely proportional to the momentum (and momentum is proportional to mass.) Within molecules, atoms have a potential well in which they show wave mechanics, and a molecule itself can surely show some of the wave-particle duality in the experiments that you mentioned. The deflection angle for objects without spherical symmetry would make it difficult to routinely measure the diffraction pattern for objects larger than an atom.
2006-10-11 16:43:15 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When we fire single photons etc through a double slit we get a pattern similar to wave fringes. But that is not anything close to a wave behavior. It is the probability that the photons chose to travel and in the process miss some areas. This has nothing to do with waves. There is no cancellation of out of phase waves here. SO no wave behavior as some calls it. Any thoughts!
2006-10-11 17:03:36 · answer #3 · answered by Dr M 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's interesting though isn't it. If you fire a couple of protons and a couple of neutrons one after the other through a gap you will most probably 'see' them all diffracted through different angles. Stick them all together and fire them through the gap and the whole thing takes off at the same angle. hmm.
2006-10-11 16:55:10 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I thought that only electromagnetic radiation exhibited the duality.
My guess would be that if molecules were to exhibit the duality, it would do so because of its constituents' duality.
2006-10-11 16:43:16 · answer #5 · answered by accrv 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋