Complementarity in the double-slit experiment: On simple realizable systems for observing intermediate particle-wave behavior

1980/03/15 by Lawrence S. Bartell · 5 citations
Medicine · Physics and Astronomy · #Biofield Effects and Biophysics #Bohr model #Classical mechanics #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Complementarity (molecular biology) #Computer science #Double-slit experiment #Einstein #Epistemology #Interference (communication) #Observable #Optics #Philosophy #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum mechanics #Simple (philosophy) #Slit #Statistical physics #Theoretical physics #Wave–particle duality

paper · doi:10.1103/physrevd.21.1698

openalex publication_date 1980/03/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

In the course of a detailed analysis of observable intermediate particle-wave aspects of light, Wootters and Zurek invented an ingenious but technically difficult practical apparatus for performing Einstein's version of the double-slit experiment. The present note discusses two very simple alternative systems for displaying the Bohr-Einstein particle-wave extremes or, if desired, any intermediate trajectory-interference manifestation associated with the double-slit experiment.

Cited by

• Human Visual System as a Double-Slit Single Photon Interference Sensor: A Comparison between Modellistic and Biophysical Tests
• Quantitative complementarity in two-path interferometry
• Certainty relations between local and nonlocal observables
• Minimum-disturbance measurement without postselection
• Double-slit experiment [wikipedia]