Thomas Young's Double Slit Experiment was first done in 1801 and has since inspired over two centuries of variations and interpretations as scientists have sought to understand the elusive world of quantum dynamics.
In the late 18th century, a great debate was whether light was composed of particles of light, called "corpuscles," as Issac Newton had proposed, or rather a wave vibrating in an ether as was thought by Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens, when along came 28 year old scientist Thomas Young.
Many different variations of the Thomas Young Double Slit Experiment have been done over the years, each demonstrating different properties and, in turn, improving the scientific understanding of the nature of quantum mechanics.
What happens if rather than using a light source such as sunlight, the particles were sent one at a time from a point source?
What happens if we attempt to place a detector in front of the slits to determine which one a photon went through?
What if we place a detector after the slits to retroactively determine which slit the photon went through?
What happens if we collect information in the method of the Delayed Choice variation, but then destroy the information we get?
Different interpretations of the results of the Double Slit Experiment have been proposed, each with its own complications and implications.
One of the most commonly taught interpretations of quantum mechanics to this day. The probability waves are purely mathematical.
A physical interpretation of probability waves in quantum mechanics.
An interpretation spun from special relativity that suggests that what is observed is relative to the observer, and the observer is actually a part of the system.
Based on the skeleton of the Copenhagen interpretation, but rather than the wave function collapsing, all possible states continue in different parallel worlds.
