Multi-slit interferometry and commuting functions of position and momentum

Abstract: In a recent, modified double-pinhole diffraction experiment the existence of an interference pattern was established indirectly along with a near-perfect imaging of the double pinhole. Our theoretical analysis shows that the experiment constitutes a preparation of a quantum state that is, to a good approximation, a joint eigenstate of commuting functions of position and momentum. Gaining information about the momentum distribution by means of the particular experimental setup is thus possible with negligible impact on the position distribution. Furthermore, we construct explicitly a class of states simultaneously localised on periodic sets in position and momentum space, which are therefore eigenstates of the observables being measured jointly (to a good approximation) in multi-slit interferometry. Finally, we show that with an appropriate change of settings the experiment demonstrates the mutual disturbance of position and momentum measurements.