It was so quiet in the grand classroom that even the sound of breathing seemed to have disappeared.
As Lucien turned on the alchemical device, messy light spots appeared on the projection on the wall. It was so messy that it was impossible to guess where the next wave of light spots would appear.
More and more light spots appeared. Heidi's mouth was wide open, and a classic and beautiful interference pattern was reflected in her pupils!
Gasps echoed nonstop. There was no need to doubt the wave nature of electrons anymore. It was not something that could be explained by a group of particles that followed a certain probability distribution.
"Double-slit interference of electrons …" Standing at the back of the grand classroom, Douglas murmured to himself in a low voice. The result of the experiment was still acceptable for him.
Over the past year, the secrets of the Pathway of Immortality, the great development in the microscopic domain, and the experiment results allowed him and Fernando to accept the probabilistic explanation of electrons. They had a deeper understanding of the wave-particle duality. Their objection to Lucien was that they believed that his foundation of quantum mechanics was incomplete, and that there must be a deeper reason that led to the ubiquitous cloud of probabilities and uncertainties. That was the key to the problem. It also contained the reason why the weirdness of the microscopic domain was not mapped to the macroscopic domain.
Even so, Douglas, Fernando, Brook, Oliver, and the rest of them were still deeply shocked when they saw the familiar and classic pattern. Electrons with mass, electric charge, and trajectories could show such pure wave nature!
Against the dreamy picture of bright and dark stripes, Lucien slightly turned his body and pointed at the picture. "Perhaps many arcanists will not believe their eyes, or suspect that there's something wrong with my alchemical device. If it's the latter, you can come and check it after the public class. If it's the former, you don't need to doubt yourselves. The experiment picture before our eyes is unquestionably interference fringes!"
"If the electron is just a particle with the characteristics of waves, it will only pass through one slit at a time, showing a simple superposition of two diffraction patterns. However, the experiment results show that it is not the case. This is a standard diffraction pattern, which means that the electron is either affected by its companions behind it, or it passes through two slits at the same time and realizes the interference by itself. That's why the position on the screen follows the pattern of interference fringes."
"And these two reasons are undoubtedly the embodiment of pure fluctuations."
Lucien's voice was deep and solemn, neither too fast nor too slow. In the ears of Larry and the other arcanists, Lucien's voice was hazy but sacred.
"As a matter of fact, I've already tested it. After improving the experimental device and reducing the intensity of the emission source, I'll only emit one electron at a time. After the previous electron passes through the double slits and reaches the sensor screen, the next electron will be emitted. In this way, the possibility of mutual interference and influence between electrons is basically ruled out. After a long time of accumulation of light spots, the experiment will also show interference fringes!"
"That is to say, electrons are indeed probabilistic waves. They are everywhere in space and have passed through two gaps at the same time, interfering with themselves!"
The eyes of Isabella, Samantha, and the others were filled with disbelief. Electrons with mass, electric charge, and trajectories could permeate space and be everywhere. Were they still matter? Was this still the foundation of matter?
Why can't we, made up of microscopic particles, permeate the space and be everywhere? Why can't we reach the Holy City of Lance and the City of Psalm at the same time in one step?
The microscopic domain was also part of the world. It was impossible for the arcanists not to associate the microscopic with the macroscopic!
Hellen stared at the image of the experiment attentively. She pressed her index finger on her cheek and was deep in thought. Because of the status transitions that Lucien had experienced and the Pathway of Immortality, the members of the Highest Council could more or less accept the state of the cloud of probabilistic clouds. Their cognitive worlds would not be frozen or their heads would explode.
As for the other arcanists, their studies on the microscopic domain were not deep enough in the first place. They did not dare to construct their cognitive worlds based on it, either. That was why their heads did not explode on a large scale. Even so, a hundred arcanists still put on a painful expression when they heard the description of the cloud of probabilistic clouds. They could not imagine how the electrons, which existed in the standard particle state in their cognitive worlds, could be like that.
At this moment, if there were other blasts, it was possible that their cognitive worlds would be broken and frozen because of it!
"The cloud of probabilistic clouds does exist, but the probabilistic property of electrons is not necessarily their intrinsic property …" Samantha said to herself in pain. If she admitted that the probabilistic property was the intrinsic property of electrons and that probabilities were the fundamental law of the world, it would mean that there was something wrong with determinism. Therefore, she could only persist with such an excuse.
However, she also knew very well that it was impossible for her to advance into legendary in such a state! She could not even dream about becoming an archmage!
Most of the arcanists of the school of astrology were in a similar state. Thankfully, Lucien did not demonstrate the double-slit experiment where one electron was emitted one by one on the spot.
Lucien lowered his hand that was pointing at the projection on the wall and looked around in the classroom. He said calmly and gently, "Because the experiment where one electron is emitted at a time will be very time-consuming, I will not demonstrate it here. You can apply to the Atom Institution for the use of the experiment equipment. Wait in line and verify it yourself."
"In that regard, you can also use the experiment of light as an analogy. The alchemical devices that you need will be much simpler. I believe that you can complete it in your own magic laboratories."
Lucien explained the experiment where one photon could pass through the double-slit experiment in full. "After a long time of accumulation, you should be able to observe the interference fringes, which means that the single photon also has the property of self-interference."
Some of the arcanists were silent as if they were dead, as if they were scared of the result of the experiment. Some of them were shivering, as if they could not wait to verify the design.
At this moment, Oliver opened his mouth. "Lucien, everything you said is based on the wave-particle duality of electrons. If electrons are pure waves, and the particle property is just a reflection of wave packets, the double-slit experiment and the self-interference of a single electron are not surprising at all. That's the fundamental property of waves. Also, at what scale does the quantum superposition state exist? Why does it not extend to the macroscopic world?"
"Why does the probabilistic wave that you spread in the space suddenly collapse into a definite dot when it reaches the sensor screen?"
His explanation made the arcanists who were more inclined to wave nod their heads. From that perspective, the previous experiment did not seem so unbelievable and shocking anymore.
Fernando suddenly said, "Oliver, if electrons and other microscopic particles are pure waves, why don't we, who are made of them, show the property of waves? Your explanation also has the problem of transition from the microscopic world to the macroscopic world. Without the support of the property of particles, waves will be attenuated! "
He only insisted on his own opinion that was derived from the experiment results, mathematical knowledge and understanding of the world. He would not accept Lucien's explanation of waves just because Oliver also thought that his theory was not complete.
The Lord of Storm's question made the arcanists who were more inclined to wave frown. It was fine if they were only talking about light, but when it came to the microscopic particles such as electrons and protons, it was inevitable that they would be related to the macroscopic matter. That was the most troublesome and puzzling part right now.
Seeing that the grand arcanists and archmages were about to have a heated debate, Lucien raised his hand and smiled. "About the double-slit experiment, I have a follow-up verification."
What? Oliver, Neeshka and the rest of the arcanists looked at Lucien. What follow-up?
Lucien pointed at the alchemical device and said, "We can add recording magic items next to the two slits to observe whether the electron has passed through both slits at the same time or only one of them. I'll adjust different alarms so that you can clearly tell whether the electron has passed through the left slit, the right slit, or both of them at the same time."
While describing, Lucien took out the recording magic items and showed them to make sure that there were no redundant magic circles inside, only recording and sounding alarms.
While waiting for him to install the recording devices, the arcanists had a heated discussion.
"Annick, according to our teacher's description, the two recording devices should be sounding different alarms at the same time, right?" Heidi asked Annick, who was talented in the microscopic domain in her mind.
Alfalia interjected, "I don't understand Mr. Evans' idea. If the two recording devices are sounding alarms at the same time, doesn't it mean that the electron has passed through both slits at the same time? Therefore, the pure wave nature is in line with Mr. Evans' explanation. However, if the alarms are not sounding at the same time, it's completely against the self-interference that Mr. Evans described earlier …"
Such an experiment would do no good to Mr. Evans at all!
Hearing the same discussion around him, Annick was silent for a long time before he said, "I assume that only one recording device will sound. Our teacher is trying to prove the particle nature of the electron …"
"Then what about self-interference?" Layria vaguely sensed something and asked in fear.
Neither Annick nor Sprint said anything. They looked at Lucien, who had completed the transformation of the alchemical device, waiting for the result.
Looking at Douglas, Fernando, Brook, Hathaway, Oliver and the rest of them, Lucien said calmly, "I'll slow down the emission of the electron so that you can tell the sequence of the alarms."
Magic patterns glowed one after another, and the alarms echoed nonstop. Because the interval was long enough, they never sounded at the same time!
"Only one gap was passed?" Heidi mumbled to herself, "Then what about the self-interference that our teacher described?"
At this moment, ear-splitting gasps echoed, and confused and chaotic words were uttered uncontrollably, "Where are the interference fringes?"
"Where are the interference fringes?!" Heidi turned her eyes to the wall, only to see that the light spots there did not show the interference fringes or the simple superposition of the diffraction fringes! There were only the features of pure particles!
Douglas looked at the experiment result that was completely different from just now. His pupils constricted slightly. The wave nature of the electron had disappeared because it was trying to observe the particle nature of the electron?
The two were like momentum and position described by the uncertainty principle?
"This is …" Oliver could not deny the pure particle nature. He shook his head nonstop, and the light around him seemed to be dimmed.
Standing on the podium, Lucien raised his right hand and pointed at the image of the experiment.
"When we are not observing, the electron is in the superposition state of waves and particles in the form of probability clouds. However, when we want to observe the wave nature and prepare for the experiment, the electron will show the pure wave nature and self-interference.
"When we want to observe the particle nature of the electron, the electron will behave as a particle without any wave nature left.
"Its state depends on how we observe and what result we want to get!"
Looking at the experiment image on the wall, the arcanists were even more confused. The electron could not have been weirder! Our observation will change the world?
It was even more magical than magic!
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