It is my understanding of the double-slit experiment that when a measuring device is activated, to measure which of the two slits a particle is travelling through, this measuring is responsible for a different outcome than when the device is left off. When the device is left off particles leave an interference pattern, suggesting a single particle (or its wave) interferes with itself; when the device is activated no interference pattern is left, and particles are observed to travel through a single slit.
Now, does all this imply that this experiment is typically carried out in a vacuum? If not, how is it that interaction with other particles in the environment of the experiment's set-up are not already influencing the outcome, regardless of whether the measuring device is on or left off?
This question may very well be a very naive one, due to my very limited understanding of particle interaction, vacuums and/or physics in general. If so, I would appreciate a brief, layman's, overview of where my understanding of the different subjects at play here is likely to be lacking.
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