Volume 16: Pages 413-427, 2003

About the Exact Role of Disturbance in Heisenberg's Uncertainty Relation

Johan Wulleman

Middenstraat 9, 1700 Dilbeek, Belgium

It is generally accepted that the disturbance interpretation cannot explain Heisenberg's uncertainty relation ΔxΔp ≈ h. In this paper a clear distinction will be made between the notions of state preparation and measurement, noting that the disturbance that is referred to in Heisenberg's disturbance interpretation is usually caused by measurement. The main goal of this paper is to examine and discuss to what extent disturbance during the state preparation plays a role in the interpretation of Heisenberg's uncertainty relation. This examination will be done in the context of the single‐slit experiment. To conclude this paper a novel single‐slit experiment will be proposed and discussed with which a clearer insight could be gained into the exact role of disturbance when a quantum system passes a single slit.

Keywords: Heisenberg's uncertainty relation, disturbance, single‐slit experiment, BEC, STM

Received: January 4, 2002; Published online: December 15, 2008