The Double-Slit Experiment: Two Centuries of Confirmed Strangeness,Frontier Advances, and the Future of Quantum Science
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65166/d9wm1y40Keywords:
double-slit experiment, wave-particle duality, quantum decoherence, quantum entanglement, quantum measurement, quantum technology, macroscopic coherenceAbstract
The double-slit experiment, first performed by Thomas Young in 1801, remains the most philosophically consequential apparatus in the history of physics. This paper reviews what has been definitively established — wave-particle duality, observer-induced decoherence, quantum complementarity, and entanglement-based extensions — and maps the current frontier of experimental innovation spanning 2010 to 2025. Organized around five thematic pillars, the literature review synthesises foundational and recent peer-reviewed work on: (1) wave-particle duality; (2) quantum measurement and decoherence; (3) entanglement and non-locality; (4) macroscopic quantum coherence; and (5) technological implications. A systematic document-analysis methodology is employed to synthesise experimental findings across disciplines. Results confirm that the experiment continues to generate paradigm-shifting discoveries — including time-domain interference (Imperial College London, 2023), atomic-precision replication (MIT, 2025), and femtometer-scale interference at CERN (2024). The paper concludes that these advances carry profound consequences for quantum computing, quantum communication, fundamental cosmology, and the philosophy of science.
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