MIT Quantum Experiment Challenges Einstein's Light Theory

Researchers at MIT have conducted an advanced version of the double-slit experiment, confirming that light exhibits wave-particle duality but cannot display both behaviors simultaneously, thereby challenging Albert Einstein's view on the phenomenon. By using ultra-cold atoms as slits and observing single photons, the experiment demonstrated that the interference pattern, indicative of wave behavior, disappears when the photon's path is measured, supporting Niels Bohr's complementarity principle and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. This modern 'idealized' experiment reinforces that measurement collapses the quantum superposition, preventing simultaneous observation of both particle and wave properties. The findings uphold the foundational principles of quantum mechanics, showing that the act of observation affects the outcome, and open new avenues for exploring quantum behavior. This work settles a long-standing debate dating back to the early 20th century and extends the implications of quantum physics for future quantum technologies.