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arXiv:2301.11095 · Optical and Quantum Sensing and Precision Metrology II

Experimental challenges for high-mass matter-wave interference with nanoparticles

Sebastian Pedalino, Bruno E. Ramírez-Galindo, Tomás Sousa, Yaakov Y. Fein, Philipp Geyer, Stefan Gerlich, Markus Arndt

Published Mar 8, 2023• 2 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

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 waves associated with these clusters: We describe an approach based on a magnetron sputtering source which ejects an intense cluster beam with a wide mass dispersion but a small velocity spread of Δv/v < 10%. The source is universal as it can be used with all conducting and many semiconducting or even insulating materials. Here we focus on metals and dielectrics with a low work function of the bulk and thus a low cluster ionization energy. This allows us to realize photoionization gratings as coherent matter-wave beam splitters and also to realize an efficient ionization detection scheme. These new methods are now combined in an upgraded Talbot-Lau interferometer with three 266 nm depletion gratings. We here describe the experimental boundary conditions and how to realize them in the lab. This next generation of near-field interferometers shall allow us to soon push the limits of matter-wave interference to masses up to 106 amu.

DOI
10.1117/12.2657260

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