Quantum mechanical double slit for molecular scattering
Haowen Zhou, William E. Perreault, Nandini Mukherjee, Richard N. Zare
Abstract
Double slits with molecular states Despite decades of research, the role of quantum mechanical effects in molecular scattering has not yet been fully investigated and can still demonstrate fascinating results, even for simple triatomic systems. Zhou et al . show that the entangled bond axis orientations in the biaxial state of a deuterium molecule can act as the two slits of a double-slit interferometer for rotationally inelastic collision with a helium atom, giving rise to quantum interference between two indistinguishable pathways (see the Perspective by Wang and Yang). The present work presents an elegant example of quantum interference in molecular scattering that is conceptually similar to the famous Young’s optical double-slit experiment. The proposed molecular interferometer could be used to coherently control the phases in various molecular processes in future experiments. —YS