ELECTRON MATTER INTERFEROMETRY AND THE ELECTRON DOUBLE-SLIT EXPERIMENT

Quantum mechanics has fundamentally changed the way scientists think about the world. Quantum mechanical theory has found it’s way into our everyday lives through advances in technology. In this dissertation a fundamental quantum me-chanical demonstration and the technological development of a new quantum me-chanical device are presented. Double-slit diffraction is a corner stone of quantum mechanics. It illustrates key features of quantum mechanics: interference and the particle-wave duality of matter. Here we demonstrate the full realization of Richard Feynman’s famous thought experiment. By placing a movable mask in front of a double-slit to control the transmission through the individuals slits. Probability distributions for single-and double-slit arrangements were observed. Additionally, by recording single elec-tron detection events diffracting through a double-slit, a diffraction pattern was built up from individual events. Additionally, a demonstration of a three grating Talbot-Lau interferometer for electrons is presented. As a proof of principle the interferometer is used to measur