Traditionally the manifestations of both particle and wave have been considered as complimentary to each other and come about depending on what is being measured. Change what you measure for and it changes reality in other words. Measure for a particle and you won't get the wave effects and measure for the wave and you won't know an electrons location. Out of all the things in Quantum Mechanics Albert Einstein detested this Observer Created Reality most.
Instead of OCR there is something new to understand. Sometimes there can be no wave for an electron. In the Two Slit experiment free electrons are shot through the holes and are detected at a screen on the other side. Without illuminating electrons at the holes they will make a wave pattern at the detection screen on the other side. When adding light to detect them the wave pattern at the detection screen disappears. The electrons tend to pile up directly behind each of the holes and no sign of a wave appears. When light interacts( scatters from) these free electrons their wave collapses temporarily just long enough to pass through a hole without any wave to cause any interference.
Simply put: briefly there is no wave. The wave function collapses temporarily as light is being scattered from the electrons. I believe this is a new phenomenon that can replace the classical Copenhagen interpretation of Observer Created Reality.
There is more to wave-particle duality. Sometimes there's just a particle.
QUOTE (Nick+Mar 26 2006, 03:14 AM)
...simply put: briefly there is no wave...
By my Aether Wave Theory all the quantum theory concepts, including the wave function have pretty real and deep physical meaning. The particles are formed by the (torsion) vibration of vacuum, but these vibrations can be spreaded in volume by the vacuum energy density fluctuations, which are moving independently in some detail. The inner energy of free particle with no motion serves as the gravitational lens, so that most of energy of such particle remains concentrated at the single place. At the case of particle on a box the situation changes, the energy density waves are bouncing form the inner walls of box, thus making a well know interferences of vacuum density, thus the interferences of particle vibrations density too (you can play with such behavior in real time using the Java applet)
This is a simple result of energy wave spreading in the inhomogeneous environment, you can imagine the energy spreading in water vapor foams in mirowave oven, where the waves are concentrated to the dynamic streaks of water vapor density, which are forming a lenses for the energy wave spreading. It means, beside the particle vibrations are here just another wave, a wave of vacuum mass/energy density, which is able to interfere independently. When two particle will met together, the corresponding density waves will have met together too, and this is a process, which we are calling the wave function collapse. Hereyou can found the explanation of the quantum entanglement using such perspective.
I'm afraid, without wave concept isn't possible to explain the quantum mechanic effects at all. Why the illuminating of electrons leads to the disappearing of the wave interference patterns? Well, the photons are formed by the very same way as the result of interference of light with the vacuum density fluctuations.
Both these interferences (this one of electron wave and the photon's one) are compensating each other, so you can obtain a local position of particle as the result of Compton ("particle-to-particle") scattering. The light wave isn't just the observation aid, it changes the condition of experiment. The wave function collapse doesn't occur just at the end of experiment on the viewing screen, but at the moment of photon scattering at the whole volume.
By my Aether Wave Theory all the quantum theory concepts, including the wave function have pretty real and deep physical meaning. The particles are formed by the (torsion) vibration of vacuum, but these vibrations can be spreaded in volume by the vacuum energy density fluctuations, which are moving independently in some detail. The inner energy of free particle with no motion serves as the gravitational lens, so that most of energy of such particle remains concentrated at the single place. At the case of particle on a box the situation changes, the energy density waves are bouncing form the inner walls of box, thus making a well know interferences of vacuum density, thus the interferences of particle vibrations density too (you can play with such behavior in real time using the Java applet)
This is a simple result of energy wave spreading in the inhomogeneous environment, you can imagine the energy spreading in water vapor foams in mirowave oven, where the waves are concentrated to the dynamic streaks of water vapor density, which are forming a lenses for the energy wave spreading. It means, beside the particle vibrations are here just another wave, a wave of vacuum mass/energy density, which is able to interfere independently. When two particle will met together, the corresponding density waves will have met together too, and this is a process, which we are calling the wave function collapse. Hereyou can found the explanation of the quantum entanglement using such perspective.
I'm afraid, without wave concept isn't possible to explain the quantum mechanic effects at all. Why the illuminating of electrons leads to the disappearing of the wave interference patterns? Well, the photons are formed by the very same way as the result of interference of light with the vacuum density fluctuations.
Both these interferences (this one of electron wave and the photon's one) are compensating each other, so you can obtain a local position of particle as the result of Compton ("particle-to-particle") scattering. The light wave isn't just the observation aid, it changes the condition of experiment. The wave function collapse doesn't occur just at the end of experiment on the viewing screen, but at the moment of photon scattering at the whole volume.
PhysOrg scientific forums are totally dedicated to science, physics, and technology. Besides topical forums such as nanotechnology, quantum physics, silicon and III-V technology, applied physics, materials, space and others, you can also join our news and publications discussions. We also provide an off-topic forum category. If you need specific help on a scientific problem or have a question related to physics or technology, visit the PhysOrg Forums. Here you’ll find experts from various fields online every day.
To quit out of "lo-fi" mode and return to the regular forums, please click here.