Which kind of and how much disruption to the symmetry of double-slit is necessary to produce the fringe pattern changes as conjectured to have seemingly manifested psychophysical faculty?
Authors: Piao Daqing 
Published: February 2023

Lay Summary 

Whether and how consciousness could affect a physical system is a fundamental question. Radin et al (Radin et al 2012, 2013) reported that consciousness could perturb the fringe pattern of the classical experiment of double-slit illuminated by a laser beam. In understanding the possible physical cause to the observed change of the fringe, Radin et al modeled that the light intensity passing a slit subjected to consciousness intention could have changed. By using computer simulation based on standard wave approaches to light, we demonstrate that the extent of the change to the double-slit fringe as reported by Radin et al can be caused by a spectral perturbation to the light, which would take only approximately  times of the energy change pertinent to the intensity change as was modeled by Radin et al.  This indicates that the intensity change as modeled was unlikely the physical precursor to the observed effect.       

 

Scientific Abstract

Significance: Recent reports [Radin 2012, Radin 2013] on variations to the fringe visibility of the interference patterns of laser-engaged double-slit experiments that seemed inexplicable at the absence of psychophysical influences have elicited notable debates within the scientific community and substantial interest in the lay population. In accounting for the observed changes of fringe pattern, Radin et al. modeled that the electrical field of the light passing the two slits might have reached an asymmetry of 3:1 in comparison to the generally symmetric baseline. However, a change to the double-slit interference fringe could have multiple causes. Identifying the most plausible cause to the fringe-pattern changes as were reported is fundamental to the understanding of the nature of psychophysical effect should it exist.

Aim: To theorize an alternative interpretation to the fringe pattern changes of the double-slit interference that could be substantially more plausible than the one conjectured by Radin et al.  

Approach: We implement computer simulations of double-slit fringe pattern based on the Huygens-Fresnel principle using the primary experimental geometrical parameters of Radin et al. to assess how an asymmetry of the double-slit configuration could affect the fringe visibility. Specifically, we assess how an asymmetry in the physical size properties (slit-width and the lateral offset of the slit-center) and the photonic/spectral properties (intensity, wavelength, and spectral bandwidth) between the two slits would affect the fringe pattern. Fourier transformation of the double-slit interference fringe is also conducted when prompted to infer differences between fringe patterns that may be grossly equivocal in terms of the fringe visibility.

Results: The main result is that the normalized interference fringe corresponding to the asymmetry of the electrical field of 3/1 or 1/3:1 is grossly indifferent from that caused by an asymmetry of the spectral bandwidth of 0.00205nm between the two slits at 6328nm center wavelength. A spectral broadening of 0.00205nm centered at 632.8nm would take approximately  times of the energy of reducing the electrical field of light of that slit to 1/3 to reach a 3:1 inter-slit ratio of the electrical field. This 0.00205nm spectral broadening of the light could be associated with an energy change of no more than 10 picowatts for the experimental setting utilized by Radin et al.

Conclusions: A change to the fringe pattern in the double-slit of Radin et al that was fitted with a 3:1 asymmetry of the electrical field between the two slits could be modeled alternatively by an asymmetry of ~0.00205nm in the spectral bandwidth between the two slits. The latter one, which would take approximately  times of the energy-change of the former one to happen, could be substantially more plausible than the former one in acting as the physical precursor to the deviation of the double-slit fringe from the baseline pattern as reported by Radin et al.