Abstract
Many introductory courses in Quantum Mechanics -whether or not they choose an historical perspective- begin with an “experiment” exhibiting the wave-particle duality of the behaviour of matter [1]. This experiment is usually presented as in Fig. 1.a and Fig. 1.b.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
R.P. Feynman, “Lectures on Physics, Quantum Mechanics”, Addison-Weseley.
In that case, the fact that the experiment is dealing with particles is taken as evident, which is quite reasonable in some cases (with electrons or neutrons for instance). We however think that the discussion is more convincing when an experiment like (1.b) is presented (at the microscopic level, we do not see the particle, so how do we know that it is a particle ?).
See for instance O. Donati, G.F. Missiroli, and G. Pozzi, Am. J. Phys. 41, 639 (1973).
A.G. Klein, and S.A. Werner, Rep. Prog. Phys. 46, 259 (1983).
Wave effects (diffraction) have already been observed with atoms. However, no simple two-waves interference has yet been observed.
More precisely, it does not seem that these sources would have exhibited a particlelike behaviour in the sense of § 2.3, since the law of probability is close to a Poisson distribution.
A. Einstein, Annalen der Physik 17, 132 (1905).
W.E. Lamb, and M.O. Scully, “Polarisation, Matière et Rayonnement”, volume in honour of Alfred Kastler, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris (1969).
We do not mean to imply that Einstein’s interpretation of the photoelectric effect is not a good one. It is indeed a very clear and convincing interpretation. But we want to insist that other interpretations exist in which there is no need to consider the light as made out of quanta.
R. Loudon, “The Quantum Theory of Light”, Clarendon Press, Oxford (1983).
[] C. Cohen-Tannoudji, J. Dupont-Roc, G. Grynberg, “Photons and Atoms”, Wiley (1989).
More detailed demonstrations of statements admitted in the present paper can be found in A. Aspect, P. Grangier, and G. Roger, J. Optics (Paris) 20, 119 (1989).
P. Grangier, G. Roger, and A. Aspect, Europhys. Lett. 1, 173 (1986).
P. Grangier, Thèse d’Etat, Paris (1986).
A. Aspect, P. Grangier, and G. Roger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 47, 460 (1981);
A. Aspect, P. Grangier, and G. Roger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 49, 91 (1982);
A. Aspect, P. Grangier, and G. Roger, A. Aspect, J. Dalibard, and G. Roger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 49, 1804 (1982).
A. Aspect, and P. Grangier, Lett. Nuovo Cimento 43, 345 (1985).
For the discussion of the role of images, see A. Miller, in this volume.
J.A. Wheeler, in “Quantum Theory and Measurement”, Princeton University Press, Princeton (1989).
T. Hellmuth, H. Walther, A. Zajonc, and W. Schleich, Phys. Rev. A35, 2532 (1989).
H. Feshbach, and V.F. Weisskopf, Physics Today 41, n° 10, 9 (Oct. 89).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1990 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Aspect, A., Grangier, P. (1990). Wave-Particle Duality : A Case Study. In: Miller, A.I. (eds) Sixty-Two Years of Uncertainty. NATO ASI Series, vol 226. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8771-8_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8771-8_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-8773-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-8771-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive