Pinhole interference in three-dimensional fuzzy space

We investigate a quantum-to-classical transition which arises naturally within the fuzzy sphere formalism for three-dimensional non-commutative quantum mechanics. This transition may be understood as the mechanism of decoherence, but without requiring an additional external heat bath. We focus on treating a two-pinhole interference configuration within this formalism, as it provides an illustrative toy model for which this transition is readily observed and quantified. Specifically, we demonstrate a suppression of the quantum interference effects for objects passing through the pinholes with sufficiently-high energies or numbers of constituent particles. Our work extends a similar treatment of the double slit experiment, presented in Pittaway and Scholtz (2021), within the two-dimensional Moyal plane, only it addresses two key shortcomings that arise in that context. These are, firstly that the interference pattern in the Moyal plane lacks the expected reflection symmetry present in the pinhole setup, and secondly that the quantum-to-classical transition manifested in the Moyal plane occurs only at unrealistically high velocities and/or particle numbers. Both of these issues are solved in the fuzzy sphere framework. •Decoherence is an unavoidable consequence of non-commutative space.•Falsifiable predictions, possibly testable by experiment, are found.•Decoherence strength is extensive, explaining the quantum-to-classical transition.•All of these phenomena are explicitly demonstrated in a double pinhole setup.