Single-particle Fraunhofer diffraction in a classical pilot-wave model

2025/09/29 by Darrow, David, Bush, John W. M.
#FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)

paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2509.25574

Abstract

Walking oil droplets offer a qualitative, classical analog of single-particle diffraction. Making this analog quantitative has proven challenging, leading recent authors to conjecture that no classical pilot-wave model could exhibit Fraunhofer diffraction. We revisit the problem with the recent, Lagrangian pilot-wave model of Darrow and Bush [Symmetry 16, 149 (2024)], and find agreement with both single- and double-slit Fraunhofer patterns. We identify two distinct dynamical features that enable our model to capture Fraunhofer diffraction and distinguish it from previous classical pilot-wave models.

Citations

• Diffraction of walking drops by a standing Faraday wave
• Convergence to Bohmian mechanics in a de Broglie-like pilot-wave system
• Single-particle diffraction with a hydrodynamic pilot-wave model
• Zitterbewegung structure in electrons and photons

Cited by

• Active wave-particle clusters

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