© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

arXiv:1901.05074 · Physical Review Letters

Dynamic Double-Slit Experiment in a Single Atom

James Pursehouse, Andrew James Murray, Jonas Wätzel, Jamal Berakdar

Published Feb 8, 2019• 0 citations

Abstract

A single-atom "double-slit" experiment is realized by photoionizing rubidium atoms using two independent low power lasers. The photoelectron wave of well-defined energy recedes to the continuum either from the 5P or 6P states in the same atom, resulting in two-path interference imaged in the far field using a photoelectron detector. Even though the lasers are independent and not phase locked, the transitions within the atom impart the phase relationship necessary for interference. The experiment is designed so that either 5P or 6P states are excited by one laser, before ionization by the second beam. The measurement cannot determine which excitation path is taken, resulting in interference in wave-vector space analogous to Young's double-slit studies. As the lasers are tunable in both frequency and intensity, the individual excitation-ionization pathways can be varied, allowing dynamic control of the interference term. Since the electron wave recedes in the Coulomb potential of the residual ion, a quantum model is used to capture the dynamics. Excellent agreement is found between theory and experiment.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.053204

Related papers

Time-resolved buildup of two-slit-type interference from a single atom

Jonas Wätzel, Andrew James Murray, Jamal Berakdar

A photoelectron forced to pass through two atomic energy levels before receding from the residual ion shows interference fringes in its angular distribution as a manifestation of a two-slit-type interference experiment in wave-vector space. This scenario was experimentally realized by irradiating a rubidium atom by two low-intensity continuous-wave lasers [Pursehouse et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 053204 (2019)]. In a one-photon process, the first laser excites the $5p$ level whereas the second uncorrelated photon elevates the excited population to the continuum. This same continuum state can also be reached when the second laser excites the $6p$ state, and the first photon then triggers the ionization. As the two lasers are weak and their relative phases uncorrelated, the coherence needed for generating the interference stems from the atom itself. Increasing the intensity or shortening the laser pulses enhances the probability that two photons from both lasers act at the same time, and hence, the coherence properties of the applied lasers are expected to affect the interference fringes. Here, this aspect is investigated in detail, and it is shown how tuning the temporal shapes of the laser pulses allows for tracing the time dependence of the interference fringes. We also study the influence of applying a third laser field with a random amplitude, resulting in a random fluctuation of one of the ionization amplitudes and discuss how the interference fringes are affected.

arXiv:1907.05957•Physical Review A•Jul 12, 2019•2 citations

Young's Double-Slit Interferometry within an Atom

Michael W. Noel, Carlos R. Stroud

An experiment is described which is an analog of Young's double-slit interferometer using an atomic electron instead of light. Two phase-coherent laser pulses are used to excite a single electron into a state of the form of a pair of Rydberg wave packets that are initially on opposite sides of the orbit. The two wave packets propagate and spread until they completely overlap, then a third phase-coherent laser pulse probes the resulting fringe pattern. The relative phase of the two wave packets is varied so that the interference produces a single localized electron wave packet on one side of the orbit or the other.

Physical Review Letters•Aug 14, 1995•98 citations

A Young-type experiment using a single-electron source and an independent atomic-size two-center interferometer: the realization of a thought experiment

F. Frémont, Anas Hajaji, R O Barrachina +1 more

Interferences caused by a single electron impacting on an independent double-center scatterer, which plays the role of an atomic-size double-slit system, are experimentally evidenced for the first time. The electron originates from the autoionization of doubly excited 2 l n l ' (n ⩾ 2) configurations of He following a double charge exchange process by He 2+ ions impinging on H 2 molecules. Well-defined oscillations are visible in the angular distribution of the electrons emitted towards the receding H + protons. The presence of these oscillations demonstrates that a single electron interferes with itself. This is analogous to the famous "thought" experiment imagined and discussed by Feynman in 1963, in which the quantum nature of the electron was illustrated by making it traverse an atomic-size double-slit arrangement.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•Nov 1, 2007•5 citations

Coherent control of atomic photoionization

Stefano Cavalieri, R. Eramo, Luca Fini +1 more

Coherent control provides a quantum interference based method for controlling atomic and molecular dynamics. We report two experimental observations of different ways to achieve such a control in atomic photoionization continuum. One is the photoionization of sodium atoms, initially prepared in the 3P1/2 excited state, by a non resonant three-photon interaction with 1064-nm laser light and by a one-photon interaction with the third-harmonic field, at 355 nm. Interference between the two transition paths allows the control of the total ionization rate by varying the relative phase of the laser fields. The second experiment is the observation of the modification of the ionization continua of xenon through laser induced continuum structure (LICS). The multiphoton radiative decay of the xenon ground state into the two electronic continua, that correspond to the two fine structure levels of the ground state of the xenon ion, is varied by electromagnetically embedding a bound state of the atom into the two continua. Both experiments are performed on an atomic beam apparatus which uses a time-of-flight spectrometer for energy analyzing the emitted photoelectrons.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Oct 21, 1998•0 citations

Temporal Young’s interference experiment by attosecond double and triple soft-x-ray pulses

Kenichi L. Ishikawa

We study a temporal version of Young's interference experiment by attosecond soft-x-ray pulses. The photoelectron energy spectra by attosecond double pulses exhibit an interference pattern, since we have no information on which pulse has generated the electron. We can re-establish the ``which-way'' information and control the interference visibility by changing the electron's momentum with phase-stabilized laser pulses, by an amount depending on the time of ionization. Moreover, if we use a triple pulse, we can realize a situation where the electron passes through a single and a double slit simultaneously to the same direction and is observed by the same detector.

Physical Review A•Aug 7, 2006•15 citations

Double slits with single atoms

Andrew James Murray

Thomas Young’s double-slit experiment is famous for demonstrating the principle of interference. Andrew Murray explains why it’s now possible to carry out an equivalent experiment using lasers that have excited individual rubidium atoms

Physics World•Feb 1, 2020•3 citations

A single-atom "double-slit" experiment is realized by photoionizing rubidium atoms using two independent low power lasers. The photoelectron wave of well-defined energy recedes to the continuum either from the 5P or 6P states in the same atom, resulting in two-path interference imaged in the far field using a photoelectron detector. Even though the lasers are independent and not phase locked, the transitions within the atom impart the phase relationship necessary for interference. The experiment is designed so that either 5P or 6P states are excited by one laser, before ionization by the second beam. The measurement cannot determine which excitation path is taken, resulting in interference in wave-vector space analogous to Young's double-slit studies. As the lasers are tunable in both frequency and intensity, the individual excitation-ionization pathways can be varied, allowing dynamic control of the interference term. Since the electron wave recedes in the Coulomb potential of the residual ion, a quantum model is used to capture the dynamics. Excellent agreement is found between theory and experiment.

A photoelectron forced to pass through two atomic energy levels before receding from the residual ion shows interference fringes in its angular distribution as a manifestation of a two-slit-type interference experiment in wave-vector space. This scenario was experimentally realized by irradiating a rubidium atom by two low-intensity continuous-wave lasers [Pursehouse et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 053204 (2019)]. In a one-photon process, the first laser excites the

5p

level whereas the second uncorrelated photon elevates the excited population to the continuum. This same continuum state can also be reached when the second laser excites the

6p

state, and the first photon then triggers the ionization. As the two lasers are weak and their relative phases uncorrelated, the coherence needed for generating the interference stems from the atom itself. Increasing the intensity or shortening the laser pulses enhances the probability that two photons from both lasers act at the same time, and hence, the coherence properties of the applied lasers are expected to affect the interference fringes. Here, this aspect is investigated in detail, and it is shown how tuning the temporal shapes of the laser pulses allows for tracing the time dependence of the interference fringes. We also study the influence of applying a third laser field with a random amplitude, resulting in a random fluctuation of one of the ionization amplitudes and discuss how the interference fringes are affected.

An experiment is described which is an analog of Young's double-slit interferometer using an atomic electron instead of light. Two phase-coherent laser pulses are used to excite a single electron into a state of the form of a pair of Rydberg wave packets that are initially on opposite sides of the orbit. The two wave packets propagate and spread until they completely overlap, then a third phase-coherent laser pulse probes the resulting fringe pattern. The relative phase of the two wave packets is varied so that the interference produces a single localized electron wave packet on one side of the orbit or the other.

Interferences caused by a single electron impacting on an independent double-center scatterer, which plays the role of an atomic-size double-slit system, are experimentally evidenced for the first time. The electron originates from the autoionization of doubly excited 2 l n l ' (n ⩾ 2) configurations of He following a double charge exchange process by He 2+ ions impinging on H 2 molecules. Well-defined oscillations are visible in the angular distribution of the electrons emitted towards the receding H + protons. The presence of these oscillations demonstrates that a single electron interferes with itself. This is analogous to the famous "thought" experiment imagined and discussed by Feynman in 1963, in which the quantum nature of the electron was illustrated by making it traverse an atomic-size double-slit arrangement.

Coherent control provides a quantum interference based method for controlling atomic and molecular dynamics. We report two experimental observations of different ways to achieve such a control in atomic photoionization continuum. One is the photoionization of sodium atoms, initially prepared in the 3P1/2 excited state, by a non resonant three-photon interaction with 1064-nm laser light and by a one-photon interaction with the third-harmonic field, at 355 nm. Interference between the two transition paths allows the control of the total ionization rate by varying the relative phase of the laser fields. The second experiment is the observation of the modification of the ionization continua of xenon through laser induced continuum structure (LICS). The multiphoton radiative decay of the xenon ground state into the two electronic continua, that correspond to the two fine structure levels of the ground state of the xenon ion, is varied by electromagnetically embedding a bound state of the atom into the two continua. Both experiments are performed on an atomic beam apparatus which uses a time-of-flight spectrometer for energy analyzing the emitted photoelectrons.

We study a temporal version of Young's interference experiment by attosecond soft-x-ray pulses. The photoelectron energy spectra by attosecond double pulses exhibit an interference pattern, since we have no information on which pulse has generated the electron. We can re-establish the ``which-way'' information and control the interference visibility by changing the electron's momentum with phase-stabilized laser pulses, by an amount depending on the time of ionization. Moreover, if we use a triple pulse, we can realize a situation where the electron passes through a single and a double slit simultaneously to the same direction and is observed by the same detector.