The Quantum Sweeper Effect

TL;DR

This paper introduces the quantum sweeper effect observed at very low transmission factors in double slit experiments, revealing unexpected particle bunching phenomena detectable via weak measurements, modeled through a superclassical approach.

Contribution

It presents the quantum sweeper effect as a new phenomenon at low intensities and demonstrates its prediction using a superclassical model consistent with quantum mechanics.

Findings

Quantum sweeper effect causes particle bunching at low transmission.

Weak measurement techniques can observe these effects.

Superclassical modeling aligns with standard quantum predictions.

Abstract

We show that during stochastic beam attenuation in double slit experiments, there appear unexpected new effects for transmission factors below $a\lesssim10^{-4}$, which can eventually be observed with the aid of weak measurement techniques. These are denoted as quantum sweeper effects, which are characterized by the bunching together of low counting rate particles within very narrow spatial domains. We employ a "superclassical" modeling procedure which we have previously shown to produce predictions identical with those of standard quantum theory. Thus it is demonstrated that in reaching down to ever weaker channel intensities, the nonlinear nature of the probability density currents becomes ever more important. We finally show that the resulting unexpected effects nevertheless implicitly also exist in standard quantum mechanics.