Double-Slit Interference

Now what on earth is that? To understand what we are getting into, a little theory is necessary.

Christiaan Huygens, a brilliant Dutch physicist, mathematician, astronomer and inventor, was the first to publish his wave theory of light in 1678, though Isaac Newton thought otherwise. It was not until 1801 when the English physicist Thomas Young did his now-classic double slit experiment that the wave theory of light gained acceptance in the scientific community.

In modern physics, the double-slit experiment demonstrates that light and matter can display characteristics of classically defined waves and particle, and more so the fundamentally probabilistic nature of quantum mechanical phenomena. This is a general class of 'double path' experiment in which a single light wave is split into two separate waves that later combine into a single wave again. Changes in the path lengths of both waves result in a phase shift and create an interference pattern, thus demonstrating the principle of wave–particle duality.

The double-slit experiment (and its variations) has become a classic thought experiment for its clarity in expressing the central puzzles of quantum mechanics. Because it demonstrates the fundamental limitation of the observer's ability to predict experimental results, Richard Feynman, the American physicist, called it—

… a phenomenon which is impossible to explain in any classical way, and which has in it the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mystery of quantum mechanics.

Now imagine asking the biggest and most fundamental question of all—what is reality? If you take the scientific approach, you'd go down to the smallest, indivisible quantum of matter or energy possible, isolate it as much as you can, and then measure its behavior under every bizarre scenario your mind can come up with. The results should provide a window into reality unlike any other, as it compels the laws of physics to unravel and reveal themselves to you. That's what the double-slit experiment is all about. Really.

Simply put, physicists have discovered that particles will only cohere into particles from its energy form under observation. In other words, the 'substances' before us are only converted from energy into 'solids' at the moment of observation. It may sound incredible but from the standpoint of the quantum world, some physicists have pointed out that the world we live in may have been constructed from energy.

We've discussed about Einstein's mass-energy equation earlier, that matter and energy are interchangeable, and that this fact does not negate or contravene the energy conservation law. Can we then safely state that in this vast universe, matter and energy are engaged in a ceaseless cycle of morphing between one of two states without ever vanishing? If so, what we perceive as real may well rest upon the very act of 'observation' as the deciding factor in determining reality.

Going a step further, is it then plausible to postulate that this world has been created with the end purpose of observation—in the realms of spirit and nature?

Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen (matter) was not made out of things that are visible (energy).

That's something for us to think about.