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arXiv:2203.11866 · Physical Review Letters

Nanoscale Magnetism Probed in a Matter-Wave Interferometer

Yaakov Y. Fein, Sebastian Pedalino, Armin Shayeghi, Filip Kiałka, Stefan Gerlich, Markus Arndt

Published Sep 12, 2022• 10 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We explore a wide range of fundamental magnetic phenomena by measuring the dephasing of matter-wave interference fringes upon application of a variable magnetic gradient. The versatility of our interferometric Stern-Gerlach technique enables us to study the magnetic properties of alkali atoms, organic radicals, and fullerenes in the same device, with magnetic moments ranging from a Bohr magneton to less than a nuclear magneton. We find evidence for magnetization of a supersonic beam of organic radicals and, most notably, observe a strong magnetic response of a thermal C_{60} beam consistent with high-temperature atomlike deflection of rotational magnetic moments.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.129.123001

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We explore a wide range of fundamental magnetic phenomena by measuring the dephasing of matter-wave interference fringes upon application of a variable magnetic gradient. The versatility of our interferometric Stern-Gerlach technique enables us to study the magnetic properties of alkali atoms, organic radicals, and fullerenes in the same device, with magnetic moments ranging from a Bohr magneton to less than a nuclear magneton. We find evidence for magnetization of a supersonic beam of organic radicals and, most notably, observe a strong magnetic response of a thermal C_{60} beam consistent with high-temperature atomlike deflection of rotational magnetic moments.
Here we propose and demonstrate a new way of using SG type methods in order to split and recombine matter waves. We use Rabi oscillations and magnetic field gradients in order to split87Rb atoms into two momentum components while keeping the two outputs of the beam splitter (BS) in the same spin state (Zeeman sublevels). After recombining the two outputs of the BS a spatial fringe pattern is observed. The new BS may enable a wide range of applications, such as, fundamental studies of many-body entanglement and dephasing processes, probing classical and quantum properties of nearby solids, and metrology of rotation, acceleration and gravity on a chip scale.
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This thesis describes the construction of an atomic matter-wave interferometer, combined with a spin-state interferometer, used to weakly measure the average transverse momentum of the atoms. A velocity-tuneable cold atomic beam was constructed and characterised. By applying radiation pressure to a magneto-optical trap, the beam's velocity was selected between 1-52 ms-1. The beam was used to produce interference fringes in a matter-wave interferometer which consisted of a mutli-slit Si3Ni4 grating and a planar atom detector placed below the grating. The interference pattern was used to measure the average beam velocity and the Van der Waals coefficient between the atoms and the grating. This was the first instance of such a measurement. Below the grating a longitudinal Stern-Gerlach interferometer was constructed. The phase shift of the atom's spin, due to the Zeeman effect from the interferometer's magnetic field, was measured. The phase shift provided a measurement of the interferometer's magnetic field in the μT range. An experiment combining the two interferometers to weakly measure the atom's transverse momentum is described and modelled.
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Abstract In this invited review in honor of 100 years since the Stern-Gerlach (SG) experiments, we describe a decade of SG interferometry on the atom chip. The SG effect has been a paradigm of quantum mechanics throughout the last century, but there has been surprisingly little evidence that the original scheme, with freely propagating atoms exposed to gradients from macroscopic magnets, is a fully coherent quantum process. Specifically, no full-loop SG interferometer (SGI) has been realized with the scheme as envisioned decades ago. Furthermore, several theoretical studies have explained why it is a formidable challenge. Here we provide a review of our SG experiments over the last decade. We describe several novel configurations such as that giving rise to the first SG spatial interference fringes, and the first full-loop SGI realization. These devices are based on highly accurate magnetic fields, originating from an atom chip, that ensure coherent operation within strict constraints described by previous theoretical analyses. Achieving this high level of control over magnetic gradients is expected to facilitate technological applications such as probing of surfaces and currents, as well as metrology. Fundamental applications include the probing of the foundations of quantum theory, gravity, and the interface of quantum mechanics and gravity. We end with an outlook describing possible future experiments.
An atom interferometer using two Stern-Gerlach magnets as polariser and analyser is described. The interferometer was first operated with a thermal beam of ground state potassium atoms. In that case the beam splitters are two radio-frequency zones within a transverse homogeneous magnetic field building a coherent superposition of Zeeman states. Ramsey fringes are obtained by scanning the RF-frequency through the resonance profile. Pulsing the RF power allows to get the time-of-flight distribution of the beam. Atomic interference fringes (``Stern-Gerlach fringes'') are observed when the magnitude of an inhomogeneous magnetic field located in between the beam splitters is scanned. When the inhomogeneous field is also pulsed, the scalar Bohm-Aharonov effect is observed. The use of metastable helium atoms (He*23S) in place of potassium atoms is proposed. In addition to the usual advantages provided by metastable atoms of high internal energy, this atom offers the specific advantage to behave as an ideal spin-one particle. This allows us to greatly simplify the polarisation scheme of the interferometer. Possible applications involving transversally inhomogeneous magnetic fields are given and limitations due to the finite source size and angular aperture are discussed.