QUANTUM PHENOMENA VISUALIZED BY ELECTRON WAVES

Quantum phenomena have become directly observable with the development of advanced techniques such as coherent field-emission electron beams, sensitive detectors, and microlithography. Examples are the single-electron build-up of an interference pattern, which contains, as R. Feynman describes in his textbook, the heart of quantum mechanics, and the Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effect, which indicates the physical significance of gauge fields. Using the AB effect, i.e., the fundamental principle behind the interaction of an electron wave with electromagnetic fields, new ways to directly observe previously unobservable microscopic quantum objects and phenomena were developed by detecting the phase of electrons.