Tag Archives: double-slit experiment

Using 10,000 atoms and 1 to probe the Bohr-Einstein debate

Posted on October 1, 2025 by

The double-slit experiment has often been described as the most beautiful demonstration in physics. In one striking image, it shows the strange dual character of matter and light. When particles such as electrons or photons are sent through two narrow … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Scicomm, Science | Tagged Albert Einstein, Bohr-Einstein debate, complementarity, Debye-Waller factor, double-slit experiment, hidden variables, lasers, Niels Bohr, optical lattice, optical tweezer, Pan Jianwei, quantum entanglement, Quantum mechanics, rubidium atoms, scattered light, uncertainty principle, wavepacket, Wolfgang Ketterle | Comments Off

The molecule that was also a wave

Posted on December 12, 2019 by

According to the principles of quantum mechanics, you’re a wave – just like light is both a particle and a wave. It’s just that your wavelength is so small that your wave nature doesn’t matter, and you’re treated like a … Continue reading →

Posted in Scicomm | Tagged Christiaan Huygens, classical mechanics, diffraction grating, double-slit experiment, Ibn al-Haytham, interferometer, Isaac Newton, laser diffraction, matter-wave, matter-wave interference, oligoporphyrins, Quantum mechanics, Thomas Young, wave-particle duality | Comments Off

What it takes to wash a strainer: soap, water and some wave optics

Posted on November 19, 2017 by

When I stay over at a friend’s place whenever I come to Delhi, I try to help around the house. But more often than not, I just do the dishes – often a lot of dishes. One item I’ve always … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged constructive interference, destructive interference, diffraction grating, dishwashing, double-slit experiment, goniochromism, iridescence, rainbow, thin-film interference, wave optics | Comments Off

What is VLBI?

Posted on July 3, 2014 by

On June 25, scientists announced the discovery of a trio of supermassive black holes at the center of a galaxy 4.2 billion light years away. The find was credited to the European VLBI Network. A Space.com report stated that this … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged atomic clocks, double-slit experiment, interference, radio astronomy, Thomas Young, Very-Long Baseline Interferometry, wave optics | Comments Off