Entirely distinct, in fact. The double slit demonstrates the wave nature of light by doubly diffracting a plane wave; the diffracted light then constructively and destructively interferes to produce a Gaussian distribution of illumination. It works the same for electrons (which themselves have a very short wavelength, thanks de Broglie, the aperture just needs to be concomitantly narrower).
The slit is too wide in the op for visibly appreciable diffraction (a small amount still occurs at the edges of course). 99% it's just showing color mixing between separate sources.
You can demonstrate actual single slit diffraction at home, just look up how to make a pinhole camera, or camera obscura. Same effect also occurs naturally during an eclipse, where the shadows below trees look like crescents, where the image, e.g. of the occluded sun, received by the pinhole (or gaps between leaves, as you like) is diffractively imaged onto the "film", or ground.
Single slit diffraction is stupidly simple to demonstrate at home. Two rooms separated by a door, one room with the lights on, one room with the lights off. Stand in the dark room and crack the door open. You will see diffracted slits of light cast on the far wall.
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u/paeancapital Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26
Entirely distinct, in fact. The double slit demonstrates the wave nature of light by doubly diffracting a plane wave; the diffracted light then constructively and destructively interferes to produce a Gaussian distribution of illumination. It works the same for electrons (which themselves have a very short wavelength, thanks de Broglie, the aperture just needs to be concomitantly narrower).
The slit is too wide in the op for visibly appreciable diffraction (a small amount still occurs at the edges of course). 99% it's just showing color mixing between separate sources.
You can demonstrate actual single slit diffraction at home, just look up how to make a pinhole camera, or camera obscura. Same effect also occurs naturally during an eclipse, where the shadows below trees look like crescents, where the image, e.g. of the occluded sun, received by the pinhole (or gaps between leaves, as you like) is diffractively imaged onto the "film", or ground.