title: Momentum transfer to a free floating double slit: realization of a thought experiment from the Einstein-Bohr debates.
abstract: We simultaneously measured the momentum transferred to a free-floating molecular double slit and the momentum change of the atom scattering from it. Our experimental results are compared to quantum mechanical and semiclassical models. The results reveal that a classical description of the slits, which was used by Einstein in his debate with Bohr, provides a surprisingly good description of the experimental results, even for a microscopic system, if momentum transfer is not ascribed to a specific pathway but shared coherently and simultaneously between both.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: L Ph H
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lower
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jahnke
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schößler
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Schöffler
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menssen
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique-Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 11 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75231 Paris 05, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lévêque
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique-Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 11 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75231 Paris 05, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sisourat
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie Physique-Matière et Rayonnement, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 11 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75231 Paris 05, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Taïeb
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Böcking
authors.affiliation: Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Straße 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dörner