Abstract
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 with a broad class of atoms, using the same laser system. The propagating particles are illuminated by three pulses of a standing ultraviolet laser beam, which detaches an electron via efficient single-photon absorption. Optical gratings may have periods as small as 80 nm, leading to wide diffraction angles for cold atoms and to compact setups even for very massive clusters. Accounting for the coherent and the incoherent parts of the particle–light interaction, we show that the combined effect of phase and amplitude modulation of the matter waves gives rise to a Talbot–Lau-like interference effect with a characteristic dependence on the pulse delay time.
Highlights
All these designs have their merits and drawbacks
The propagating particles are illuminated by three pulses of a standing ultraviolet laser beam, which detaches an electron via efficient single photon-absorption
It is nowadays possible to nanofabricate e.g. silicon nitride structures with a precision that guarantees a predefined slit period to within a few Angstroms, even over millimeter sized areas [17]. Such masks are of great importance for many applications in atom [18,19] and electron interferometry [20, 21] since they do not rely on any internal particle property
Summary
Nanomechanical gratings, which serve to block a part of the particle beam, are the most natural diffraction elements for matter waves. It is nowadays possible to nanofabricate e.g. silicon nitride structures with a precision that guarantees a predefined slit period to within a few Angstroms, even over millimeter sized areas [17] Such masks are of great importance for many applications in atom [18,19] and electron interferometry [20, 21] since they do not rely on any internal particle property. For highly polarizable and slow particles, the presence of dispersion forces near the grating walls becomes increasingly important [6, 12, 22, 23] These van der Waals or Casimir-Polder interactions introduce a phase shift with a strong position and velocity dependence [24, 25]. Narrow-band lasers allow one to define the grating period with high precision and the grating transmission function, defined by the particle-light interaction, can be controlled and modulated in situ and on a short time scale via the laser intensity [26, 27]
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