Puzzling aspects of Young interference and spontaneous intrinsic decoherence

Abstract

We discuss the single-particle Young interference experiment in position space, showing its close relation with the time-dependent Schrödinger spread. In the two-slit case there is always a maximum at the centre of the screen. Here we demonstrate that, with three slits, one can have zero intensity (at the centre) for discrete values of the spacing between the slits and of the distance of the screen. Finally, we show the possibility that spontaneous intrinsic decoherence destroys the interference pattern and that decoherence becomes stronger at the macroscopic limit.