A 4096-pixel MAPS detector used to investigate the single-electron distribution in a Young-Feynman two-slit interference experiment

A monolithic CMOS detector, made of 4096 active pixels developed for HEP collider experiments, has been used in the Young-Feynman two-slit experiment with single electrons. The experiment has been carried out by inserting two nanometric slits in a transmission electron microscope that provided the electron beam source and the electro-optical lenses for projecting and focusing the interference pattern on the sensor. The fast readout of the sensor, in principle capable to manage up to 10(6) frames per second, allowed to record single-electron frames spaced by several empty frames. In this way, for the first time in a single-electron two-slit experiment, the time distribution of electron arrivals has been measured with a resolution of 165 mu s. In addition, high statistics samples of single-electron events were collected within a time interval short enough to be compatible with the stability of the system and coherence conditions of the illumination.