Classic Double-slit Experiment Also Applicable to Time Using Lasers, Could Pave the Way for New Optical Technologies

Researchers conducted the classic double-slit experiment and were able to achieve a long-held goal of creating time slits, leading to the discovery of unexpected physics that could shed light on light behavior and pave the way for the development of advanced optical technologies.

Thomas Young first conducted the double-split experiment in 1801 and has since then become a well-known scientific tool to gain insights into the strange realm of quantum mechanics by demonstrating how light behaves in a wave and a particle. Researchers used a laser in the experiment to demonstrate the dual nature of light with better precision, leading the way for further exploration.

Twist on the Original Double-slit Experiment

Researchers from Imperial College London have conducted a temporal version of the classic double-slit experiment, which offers a glimpse into the physics that occurs at ultrafast timescales.

According to Vice, the scientists used lasers and a special metamaterial called Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) to create "slits" in time instead of space. The experiment showed that light behaves as both a wave and a particle, just as the original double-slit experiment demonstrated.

Indium Tin Oxide is a metamaterial that can change its properties in femtoseconds, making it possible for light waves to interact with it at key moments in ultrafast succession, creating "time slits." The capacity to swiftly adjust reflectance using lasers was vital to completing this experiment.

The researchers believe that the temporal double-slit experiment could inform the development of quantum computing systems and other next-generation applications by providing a better understanding of the behavior of light. The experiment is a significant milestone in the study of quantum mechanics and demonstrates the potential of metamaterials to reveal new insights into the nature of the universe.

The team presented the findings of their study, titled "Double-slit Time Diffraction at Optical Frequencies," in the journal Nature.

Highlight of the Experiment

Andrea Alù told Live Science that one of the most remarkable aspects of the experiment is that it demonstrates the possibility of rapidly switching the permittivity of the ITO material, which determines the amount of light a material transmits or reflects, by a significant amount.

This discovery demonstrates that this material is an excellent option for exhibiting time reflections and time crystals. The researchers want to harness these events to develop metamaterials that can alter the course of light in precise and complex ways.

While existing metamaterials are static, meaning that changing their effect on light's path requires using an entirely new structure, the new material can be reconfigured, making it possible to use it for more than one purpose. This technology could enable neuromorphic computing, which mimics the brain, among other applications.

In summary, the researchers' experiment demonstrates that the ITO material can be rapidly reconfigured, making it a promising candidate for developing metamaterials that can manipulate light in unique and complex ways and pave the way for new technologies with various applications, including neuromorphic computing.