  The interaction between charged particles and the vacuum fluctuations of the
electromagnetic field induces decoherence, and therefore affects the contrast
of fringes in an interference experiment. In this article we show that if a
double slit experiment is performed near a conducting grating, the fringe
visibility is reduced. We find that the reduction of contrast is proportional
to the number of grooves in the conducting surface, and that for realistic
values of the parameters it could be large enough to be observed. The effect
can be understood in terms of the Smith-Purcell radiation produced by the
surface currents induced in the conductor.
