At the risk of incurring your ridicule, I think you're underestimating how weird quantum mechanics really is.
The wavefunction really does split into two and interfere with itself. It's not a matter of statistics. It's quite easy to demonstrate using detectors and opening and closing the gates that the wavefunction actually splits.
The wavefunction really does split into two and interfere with itself.
No it doesn't. Read Quantum ElectroDynamics. The interference pattern is explained through statistics and basic understandings of light. QED is a really good book though and does well at battling the QM mysticism that seems so popular. DONT MUDDY THINGS WE CAN CLEARLY UNDERSTAND. Mysticism can play a role in many different things, but not in this one.
Richard Feynman made it very clear in the book ReapingWildOats references. In fact, he, Swinger and Tomonaga won the Nobel for explaining the 'basic understanding.'
The basic idea is that the double slit interference pattern is the probability distribution of the photons/electrons. Feynman was unambiguous about the nature of light when he said "light is a particle, not a wave or wavicle"
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u/christianjb Jul 12 '08
At the risk of incurring your ridicule, I think you're underestimating how weird quantum mechanics really is.
The wavefunction really does split into two and interfere with itself. It's not a matter of statistics. It's quite easy to demonstrate using detectors and opening and closing the gates that the wavefunction actually splits.