Dephasing in electron interference by a ‘which-path’ detector

E. Buks, R. Schuster, M. Heiblum (), D. Mahalu and V. Umansky
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E. Buks: Braun Center for Submicron Research, Weizmann Institute of Science
R. Schuster: Braun Center for Submicron Research, Weizmann Institute of Science
M. Heiblum: Braun Center for Submicron Research, Weizmann Institute of Science
D. Mahalu: Braun Center for Submicron Research, Weizmann Institute of Science
V. Umansky: Braun Center for Submicron Research, Weizmann Institute of Science

Nature, 1998, vol. 391, issue 6670, 871-874

Abstract: Abstract Wave–particle duality, as manifest in the two-slit experiment, provides perhaps the most vivid illustration of Bohr's complementarity principle: wave-like behaviour (interference) occurs only when the different possible paths a particle can take are indistinguishable, even in principle1. The introduction of a which-path (welcher Weg) detector for determining the actual path taken by the particle inevitably involved coupling the particle to a measuring environment, which in turn results in dephasing (suppression of interference). In other words, simultaneous observations of wave and particle behaviour is prohibited. Such a manifestation of the complementarity principle was demonstrated recently using a pair of correlated photons, with measurement of one photon being used to determine the path taken by the other and so prevent single-photon interference2. Here we report the dephasing effects of a which-path detector on electrons traversing a double-path interferometer. We find that by varying the sensitivity of the detector we can affect the visibility of the oscillatory interference signal, thereby verifying the complementarity principle for fermions.

Date: 1998
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DOI: 10.1038/36057

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