The double slit experiment provides a classic example of both
interference and the effect of observation in quantum physics. When particles
are sent individually through a pair of slits, a wave-like interference pattern
develops, but no such interference is found when one observes which
“path” the particles take. We present a model of interference,
dephasing, and measurement-induced decoherence in a one-dimensional version of
the double-slit experiment. Using this model, we demonstrate how the loss of
interference in the system is correlated with the information gain by the
measuring apparatus/observer. In doing so, we give a modern account of
measurement in this paradigmatic example of quantum physics that is accessible
to students taking quantum mechanics at the graduate or senior undergraduate
levels.
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