Abstract

We have analysed the “Young’s two slit” type of experiment performed by Eichmann [1] et al. where the slits have been replaced by the fluorescence from atoms with the additional possibility of using the internal states of the atoms as a path detector. The atoms were driven by a linearly polarised travelling wave laser and a polarisation sensitive detection device was used. An interference pattern was observed for one type of polarisation but not for the other orthogonal polarisation.

© 1996 Optical Society of America