The aim of Young's double-slit experiment, also known as Young's interference experiment, is to demonstrate and study the wave nature of light or other particles. It was performed by Thomas Young in the early 1800s and played a crucial role in establishing the wave theory of light.
The experiment involves a beam of light (or other particles) that is directed towards a barrier with two closely spaced slits. Behind the barrier, a screen is placed to capture the light that passes through the slits. The purpose of the experiment is to observe the resulting pattern of light on the screen and analyze its characteristics.
The expected outcome of the experiment is an interference pattern, which consists of alternating bright and dark regions. This pattern arises due to the superposition and interference of the light waves that pass through the two slits. If light were only particles, one would expect to see two separate bands of light on the screen aligned with the two slits, but instead, an interference pattern is observed.
The experiment aims to demonstrate that light behaves as a wave and exhibits wave-like properties such as diffraction and interference. Young's double-slit experiment provided strong evidence supporting the wave nature of light and played a pivotal role in the development of the wave theory of light, which later merged with quantum mechanics to form the modern understanding of light and other particles.