This animation illustrates diffraction of fluorescent molecules at a grating. The molecules are coated onto a surface in high vacuum and heated in a 1.4 µm laser spot. Heisenberg's uncertainty relation then implies that the transverse velocity is undetermined. This translates into position uncertainty (delocalization) at the grating and allows indistinguishable paths for the molecules from the source to the screen. The ensuing interference pattern is revealed in laser-induced fluorescence.
Single molecules interference, imaged in real time
The movie shows the laser-induced fluorescence pattern which emerges as a result of matter-wave interference of individual organic dye molecules (514 amu). Every single molecule can be localized with 10 nm accuarcy on the screen, even though every of these molecules must be quantum delocalized by severl 100 nm at the position of the grating.
(click here for the related publication in Nature Nanotechnology).
Diffraction of Dye molecules at an alga skeleton
The video illustrates the coherent propagation of PcH2 molecules through a biological grown nanostructure, the skeleton of the alga Amphipleura pellucida. The wave-particle duality is one of the most intriguing aspects of quantum mechanics.