Interferometry with relativistic electrons

TL;DR

This paper proposes an experiment to observe how Lorentz contraction affects electron interference patterns at relativistic speeds, using laser pulses and the Kapitza-Dirac effect.

Contribution

It introduces a novel experimental setup to test relativistic effects on quantum interference with electrons at high speeds.

Findings

Lorentz contraction reduces interference fringe visibility at relativistic speeds

The experiment links quantum interference with special relativity effects

Potential implications for understanding quantum mechanics in relativistic regimes

Abstract

We propose an experiment to test the influence of Lorentz contraction on the interference pattern of a beam of electrons. The electron beam is split and recombined by two pairs of bi-chromatic laser pulses, using a variation of the Kapitza-Dirac effect. Between the pairs the electrons are accelerated to relativistic speed. We show that Lorentz contraction of the distance between two partial beams will then lead to a reduction of fringe visibility. The connection of the proposal to Bell's spaceship paradox is discussed.