Related papers: The wave nature of biomolecules and fluorofulleren…
The de Broglie wave nature of matter is a paradigmatic example of fundamental quantum physics and enables precise measurements of forces, fundamental constants and even material properties. However, even though matter-wave interferometry is…
We study the interference of C70 fullerenes in a Talbot-Lau interferometer with a large separation between the diffraction gratings. This permits the observation of recurrences of the interference contrast both as a function of the de…
The dual wave-particle nature of quantum objects is a notoriously unintuitive feature of quantum theories. However, it is often deemed essential, due to quantum objects exhibiting diffraction and interference. We extend the work of…
In 1924 Louis de Broglie introduced the concept of wave-particle duality: the Planck constant $h$ relates the momentum $p$ of a massive particle to its de Broglie wavelength $\lambda=h/p$. The superposition principle is one of the main…
This paper descrives the first experimental evidence of antimatter-wave interference, a process at the heart of Quantum Physics and its interpretation. For the case of ordinary matter particles, interference phenomena have been observed in…
We review the physics and phenomenology of wave dark matter: a bosonic dark matter candidate lighter than about 30 eV. Such particles have a de Broglie wavelength exceeding the average inter-particle separation in a galaxy like the Milky…
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…
The well-known interference pattern of bright and dark fringes was first observed for light beams back in 1801 by Thomas Young. The maximum visibility fringes occur when the irradiance of the two beams is equal, and as the ratio of the beam…
Decoherence is the main process behind the quantum to classical transition. It is a purely quantum mechanical effect by which the system looses its ability to exhibit coherent behavior. The recent experimental observation of diffraction and…
Typically one expects that when a heavy particle collides with a surface, the scattered angular distribution will follow classical mechanics. The heavy mass assures that the de Broglie wavelength of the incident particle in the direction of…
Matter waves, as introduced by de Broglie in 1923, are a fundamental quantum phenomenon, describing the delocalized center of mass motion of massive bodies and we show here their sensitivity to the molecular structure of constitutional…
Recent experiments have shown that fullerene and fluorofullerene molecules can produce interference patterns. These molecules have both rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom. This leads one to ask whether these internal motions can…
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…
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…
The standard quantum theory has not taken into account the size of quantum particles, the latter being implicitly treated as material points. The recent interference experiments of Zeilinger [3] with large molecules like fullerenes and the…
The double slit interference experiment has been famously described by Richard Feynman as containing the "only mystery of quantum mechanics". The history of quantum mechanics is intimately linked with the discovery of the dual nature of…
Matter-wave interferometry has been largely studied in the last few years. Usually, the main problem in the analysis of the diffraction experiments is to establish the causes for the loss of coherence observed in the interference pattern.…
The development of nanotechnology and atom optics relies on understanding how atoms behave and interact with their environment. Isolated atoms can exhibit wave-like (coherent) behaviour with a corresponding de Broglie wavelength and phase…
Recently, a new interpretation of quantum mechanics has been developed for the wave nature of a photon, where determinacy in quantum correlations becomes an inherent property without the violation of quantum mechanics. Here, we…
This chapter reviews recent experiments on matter wave interferometry with large molecules. Starting from an elementary introduction to matter wave physics we discuss far-field diffraction and near-field interferometry with thermally…