Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review Letters

Diffraction of Atoms from a Measurement Induced Grating

Stefan Kunze, Kai Dieckmann, Gerhard Rempe

Published Mar 17, 1997• 120 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report on an experiment with polarized atoms passing a standing light wave, where the atom's position is encoded (entangled) with the excitation amplitude of two long lived electronic states. Position information can be obtained a posteriori by measuring the electronic state. If this measurement is performed, the atom is localized in an array of virtual slits. This gives rise to diffraction of the atomic de Broglie waves from a measurement induced amplitude grating, thus showing the back action onto the momentum due to the localization. We further demonstrate experimentally that the encoding can be totally erased.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.78.2038

Related papers

Atomic-Position Measurement via Internal-State Encoding

S Kunze, Gerhard Rempe, Martin Wilkens

The position of a polarized atom passing through a standing light wave can be localized by observing the phase of the atomic-dipole moment in a Ramsey-type experiment. Depending on the outcome of the measurement, the diffraction pattern in the far field corresponds to atoms with their momentum changed by integer multiples of 4 ℏk . Position measurements with standard deviation of ≈ λ/40 seem to be possible with optical techniques.

Europhysics Letters (EPL)•Jul 10, 1994•105 citations

Measurement-induced diffraction and interference of atoms

Pippa Storey, Matthew J. Collett, Daniel F. Walls

The position of an atom passing through a standard light wave is localized by making a quadrature phase measurement on the light field. This localization can be thought of as the creation of a virtual slit (or slits) for the atom by the field measurement. Diffraction and interference behavior may be observed in the far field.

Physical Review Letters•Jan 27, 1992•234 citations

Atom Wave Interferometry with Diffraction Gratings of Light

Ernst Maria Rasel, Markus K. Oberthaler, Herman Batelaan +2 more

We have developed a novel interferometer for atom de Broglie waves, where amplitude division and recombination is achieved by diffraction at standing light waves operating as phase gratings. Our new atom interferometer is the exact mirror image of interferometers for light, with the roles of atoms and photons interchanged, and it directly demonstrates coherence of the diffraction of atomic waves at standing light waves. Easy manipulation of the phase, intensity, and polarization of the standing light wave permits novel studies of atomic coherence properties.

Physical Review Letters•Oct 2, 1995•244 citations

Reflection and diffraction of atomic de Broglie waves by an evanescent laser wave

Rainer A. Deutschmann, Wolfgang A. Ertmer, Hartmut Wallis

The diffraction theory of a reflection grating for atoms based on a standing light wave is developed in a particular dressed-state approximation. The basis states take into account internal and external atomic degrees of freedom simultaneously and correspond to diffraction orders in the asymptotic region. In this basis the atom is described as an effective multilevel system. In an adiabatic approximation for the motion perpendicular to the grating, these levels serve as position-dependent potentials. An incoming de Broglie wave is coupled to higher diffraction orders by nonadiabatic transitions near avoided crossings of the potentials. Numerical results confirm the qualitative predictions following from the physical picture of the diffraction process and lead to an improved description of experiments.

Physical Review A•Mar 1, 1993•54 citations

Modulation of atomic de Broglie waves using Bragg diffraction

Stefan Bernet, Markus K. Oberthaler, Roland Abfalterer +2 more

Bragg diffraction of atoms at thick standing light waves requires that the wave-matching condition is fulfilled. This usually means that the atomic beam crosses the light wave exactly at the Bragg angle. Nevertheless, our experiments also demonstrate Bragg diffraction at detuned angles if the amplitude of the standing light wave is temporally modulated with an appropriate frequency. If, on the other hand, the phase of the light wave is modulated no diffraction is observed. Both modulation processes produce frequency sidebands which set up `slowly travelling standing waves' in front of a retro-reflection mirror. Atoms are diffracted at these `almost standing' light waves in a similar way to photons at the travelling sound waves in an acousto-optic modulator. The frequency of the diffracted de Broglie waves is assumed to be shifted by the intensity modulation frequency. The different results using amplitude- and phase-modulated light waves are due to interference between the diffraction contributions of the individual frequency sidebands contained in the standing light wave.

Quantum and Semiclassical Optics Journal of the European Optical Society Part B•Jun 1, 1996•15 citations

Measuring the quantum state of an electromagnetic field using the atomic Talbot effect

Bernd Rohwedder, L. Davidovich, Nicim Zagury

Fractional Talbot images in the de Broglie near field of atoms diffracted by a dispersive light grating allow the measurement of the quantum state of an electromagnetic field in a cavity, in the optical domain. In particular, the photon-number statistics may be obtained, in principle, through a single experimental realization. It may be expressed as a Fourier transform of the atomic density on a plane situated at one-fourth of the Talbot distance from the light grating. The proposed measurement of the density matrix of a standing light wave using ``Talbot fingerprints'' should be feasible within the present state of the art.

Physical Review A•Jul 1, 1999•9 citations
We report on an experiment with polarized atoms passing a standing light wave, where the atom's position is encoded (entangled) with the excitation amplitude of two long lived electronic states. Position information can be obtained a posteriori by measuring the electronic state. If this measurement is performed, the atom is localized in an array of virtual slits. This gives rise to diffraction of the atomic de Broglie waves from a measurement induced amplitude grating, thus showing the back action onto the momentum due to the localization. We further demonstrate experimentally that the encoding can be totally erased.
We have developed a novel interferometer for atom de Broglie waves, where amplitude division and recombination is achieved by diffraction at standing light waves operating as phase gratings. Our new atom interferometer is the exact mirror image of interferometers for light, with the roles of atoms and photons interchanged, and it directly demonstrates coherence of the diffraction of atomic waves at standing light waves. Easy manipulation of the phase, intensity, and polarization of the standing light wave permits novel studies of atomic coherence properties.
The diffraction theory of a reflection grating for atoms based on a standing light wave is developed in a particular dressed-state approximation. The basis states take into account internal and external atomic degrees of freedom simultaneously and correspond to diffraction orders in the asymptotic region. In this basis the atom is described as an effective multilevel system. In an adiabatic approximation for the motion perpendicular to the grating, these levels serve as position-dependent potentials. An incoming de Broglie wave is coupled to higher diffraction orders by nonadiabatic transitions near avoided crossings of the potentials. Numerical results confirm the qualitative predictions following from the physical picture of the diffraction process and lead to an improved description of experiments.
Bragg diffraction of atoms at thick standing light waves requires that the wave-matching condition is fulfilled. This usually means that the atomic beam crosses the light wave exactly at the Bragg angle. Nevertheless, our experiments also demonstrate Bragg diffraction at detuned angles if the amplitude of the standing light wave is temporally modulated with an appropriate frequency. If, on the other hand, the phase of the light wave is modulated no diffraction is observed. Both modulation processes produce frequency sidebands which set up `slowly travelling standing waves' in front of a retro-reflection mirror. Atoms are diffracted at these `almost standing' light waves in a similar way to photons at the travelling sound waves in an acousto-optic modulator. The frequency of the diffracted de Broglie waves is assumed to be shifted by the intensity modulation frequency. The different results using amplitude- and phase-modulated light waves are due to interference between the diffraction contributions of the individual frequency sidebands contained in the standing light wave.
Fractional Talbot images in the de Broglie near field of atoms diffracted by a dispersive light grating allow the measurement of the quantum state of an electromagnetic field in a cavity, in the optical domain. In particular, the photon-number statistics may be obtained, in principle, through a single experimental realization. It may be expressed as a Fourier transform of the atomic density on a plane situated at one-fourth of the Talbot distance from the light grating. The proposed measurement of the density matrix of a standing light wave using ``Talbot fingerprints'' should be feasible within the present state of the art.