Related papers: A Kapitza-Dirac-Talbot-Lau interferometer for high…
Lasers with wavelengths of the order of the atomic size are becoming available. We explore the behavior of light-matter interactions in this emergent field by considering the atomic Kapitza-Dirac effect. We derive the diffraction patterns,…
In the recent years, mater-wave interferometry has attracted growing attention due to its unique suitability for high-precision measurements and study of fundamental aspects of quantum theory. Diffraction and interference of matter waves…
Matter-wave interferometry has become an essential tool in studies on the foundations of quantum physics and for precision measurements. Mechanical gratings have played an important role as coherent beamsplitters for atoms, molecules and…
A generalized description of Talbot-Lau interference with matter waves is presented, which accounts for arbitrary grating interactions and realistic beam characteristics. The dispersion interaction between the beam particles and the optical…
Interference with atomic and molecular matter waves is a rich branch of atomic physics and quantum optics. It started with atom diffraction from crystal surfaces and the separated oscillatory fields technique used in atomic clocks. Atom…
Talbot interferometer, as a periodic reproduction of momentum distribution in the time domain, finds significant applications in multiple research. The inter-particle interactions during the diffraction and interference process introduce…
The quantum superposition principle, a key distinction between quantum physics and classical mechanics, is often perceived as a philosophical challenge to our concepts of reality, locality or space-time since it contrasts our intuitive…
Matter-wave interference experiments enable us to study matter at its most basic, quantum level and form the basis of high-precision sensors for applications such as inertial and gravitational field sensing. Success in both of these…
We consider various effects that are encountered in matter wave interference experiments with massive nanoparticles. The text-book example of far-field interference at a grating is compared with diffraction into the dark field behind an…
In this article we formulate and solve the problem of molecular beam diffraction when each molecule consists of two interacting bodies. Then, using our results, we present the diffraction patterns for various molecular sizes employing the…
We present the first demonstration of a three grating Talbot-Lau interferometer for electrons. As a proof of principle, the interferometer is used to measure magnetic fields. The device is similar to the classical Moire deflectometer. The…
In the Kapitza-Dirac effect, atoms, molecules, or swift electrons are diffracted off a standing wave grating of the light intensity created by two counter-propagating laser fields. In ultrafast electron optics, such a coherent beam splitter…
Paths of particles, emitted from distributed sources and passing out through slits of two gratings, $G_{0}$ and $G_{1}$, up to detectors, have been computed in details by the path integral method. The slits are represented by Gaussian…
The Talbot effect, in which a wave imprinted with transverse periodicity reconstructs itself at regular intervals, is a diffraction phenomenon that occurs in many physical systems. Here we present the first observation of the Talbot effect…
Matter-wave interferometry performed with massive objects elucidates their wave nature and thus tests the quantum superposition principle at large scales. Whereas standard quantum theory places no limit on particle size, alternative, yet…
Quantum superposition is central to quantum theory but challenges our concepts of reality and spacetime when applied to macroscopic objects like Schr\"odinger's cat. For that reason, it has been a long-standing question whether quantum…
One of the important goals of present research is to control and manipulate coherence in a broad variety of systems, such as semiconductor spintronics, biological photosynthetic systems, superconducting qubits and complex atomic networks.…
Advances in micro-technology of the last years have made it possible to carry optics textbooks experiments over to atomic and molecular beams, such as diffraction by a double slit or transmission grating. The usual wave-optical approach…
Atom interferometers provide a powerful tool for measuring physical constants and testifying fundamental physics with unprecedented precision. Conventional atom interferometry focuses on the phase difference between two paths and utilizes…
The wave-particle duality of massive objects is a cornerstone of quantum physics and a key property of many modern tools such as electron microscopy, neutron diffraction or atom interferometry. Here we report on the first experimental…