That's a very deep question. In some sense no, in some sense yes.
I would say on the deepest level, no, they are not blocked.
replyBlocked? No. Greatly attenuated and restricted in what modes can be accommodated? Yes.
replyMore critically though the study gets into how they used a reference wave packet to establish a stationary baseline for the interferometer. Assuming the experiment is sufficiently isolated to reduce noise below the necessary threshold this can work in principle.
> Blocked? No. Greatly attenuated and restricted in what modes can be accommodated? Yes.
replyCan you give me some examples? I guess I'm thinking lead barriers or a Bose Einstein condensate but curious what you mean here.
Your house has walls to attenuate photons.
replyCasimir plates are a good example, although Faraday cages are probably better known along with Mu-metal.
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