Related papers: A universal matter-wave interferometer with optica…
We discuss the concept of an all-optical and ionizing matter-wave interferometer in the time domain. The proposed setup aims at testing the wave nature of highly massive clusters and molecules, and it will enable new precision experiments…
We discuss recent advances towards matter-wave interference experiments with free beams of metallic and dielectric nanoparticles. They require a brilliant source, an efficient detection scheme and a coherent method to divide the de Broglie…
We demonstrate a near-field Talbot-Lau interferometer for C-70 fullerene molecules. Such interferometers are particularly suitable for larger masses. Using three free-standing gold gratings of one micrometer period and a transversally…
The interaction of Na atoms with a surface was probed by inserting a nanofabricated material grating into one arm of an atom interferometer (IFM). This technique permits a direct measurement of the change in phase and coherence of matter…
We discuss modern developments in quantum optics with organic molecules, clusters and nanoparticles -- in particular recent realizations of near-field matter-wave interferometry. A unified theoretical description in phase space allows us to…
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…
We report on the realization of a matter-wave interferometer based on single-photon interaction on the ultra-narrow optical clock transition of strontium atoms. We experimentally demonstrated its operation as a gravimeter and as a gravity…
Extending the range of quantum interferometry to a wider class of composite nanoparticles requires new tools to diffract matter waves. Recently, pulsed photoionization light gratings have demonstrated their suitability for high mass…
Research on matter waves is a thriving field of quantum physics and has recently stimulated many investigations with electrons, neutrons, atoms, Bose-condensed ensembles, cold clusters and hot molecules. Coherence experiments with complex…
We demonstrate a three phase-grating neutron interferometer as a robust candidate for large area interferometry applications and characterization of materials. This novel far-field moire technique allows for broad wavelength acceptance and…
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…
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…
We review recent progress and future prospects of matter wave interferometry with complex organic molecules and inorganic clusters. Three variants of a near-field interference effect, based on diffraction by material nanostructures, at…
An ionization-induced plasma grating can be formed by spatially selective ionization of gases by the interference of two intersecting ultra-short laser pulses. The density modulation of a plasma grating can approach unity since the plasma…
We provide the first demonstration that a neutron far-field interferometer can be employed to measure the microstructure of a sample. The interferometer is based on the moir\'e pattern of two phase modulating gratings which was previously…
We establish that matter-wave interference at near-resonant ultraviolet optical gratings can be used to spatially separate individual conformers of complex molecules. Our calculations show that the conformational purity of the prepared beam…
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…
We have developed a matter wave interferometer based on the diffraction of atoms from effective absorption gratings of light. In a setup with cold rubidium atoms in an atomic fountain the interferometer has been used to carry out tests of…
Do van der Waals interactions determine the smallest nanostructures that can be used for atom optics? This question is studied with regard to the problem of designing an atom interferometer with optimum sensitivity to de Broglie wave phase…
We extend the theory of matter-wave interferometry of point-like particles to non-spherical objects by taking the orientational degrees of freedom into account. In particular, we derive the grating transformation operator, that maps the…