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Physical Review A

Probing scattering phases via two-center interferences in collisions of He2+ on CO

Yang Gao, S. F. Zhang, Xiaolong Zhu, Dalong Guo, Michael Schulz, Alexander B Voitkiv, Dongmei Zhao, Bin Hai, M. Zhang, R. T. Zhang, Wei Feng, S. Yan, Hao Wang, Z. K. Huang, X. Ma

Published Feb 28, 2018• 12 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Phases of quantum transition amplitudes contain very important information about physical processes. However, as a rule, they may not be accessed experimentally. This is, in particular, the case when collisions of ions and atoms are studied. In this rapid communication, we explore double-electron capture in collisions of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ particles with CO molecules. Regarding the atomic cores of the molecule as two ``slits,'' we show that atomic ``double-slit'' interference can be exploited to experimentally extract information about phases of the projectile scattering on the cores.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.97.020701

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Phases of quantum transition amplitudes contain very important information about physical processes. However, as a rule, they may not be accessed experimentally. This is, in particular, the case when collisions of ions and atoms are studied. In this rapid communication, we explore double-electron capture in collisions of \ensuremathα\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremathα particles with CO molecules. Regarding the atomic cores of the molecule as two slits,'' we show that atomic double-slit'' interference can be exploited to experimentally extract information about phases of the projectile scattering on the cores.
For the last 50 years, there has been considerable interest in the possibility of observing the equivalence of a Young's double-slit wave interference at the quantum level for diatomic molecules. For electron-impact ionization of diatomic molecules, indirect evidence for this type of interference has been found by changing the energy (wavelength) of the ejected electron while keeping the incident projectile scattering angle fixed. The present work represents an experimental and theoretical collaboration to better understand the physics of this type of interference. In addition to examining the effect of changing the ejected electron energy for a fixed scattered projectile angle, we have also examined the effect of keeping the ejected electron energy fixed while varying the projectile scattering angle. Model calculations are performed for three different types of possible two-center interference effects, and it is found that the most important one is diffraction of the projectile off two scattering centers.
We report the first observation of Young-type interference effects in a two-electron transfer process. These effects change strongly as the projectile velocity changes in fast (1.2 and 2.0 MeV) He(2+) + H(2) collisions as manifested in strong variations of the double-electron capture rates with the H(2) orientation. This is consistent with fully quantum mechanical calculations, which ignore sequential electron transfer, and a simple projectile de Broglie wave picture assuming that two-electron transfer probabilities are higher in collisions where the projectile passes close to either one of the H(2) nuclei.
The wave function of an atom passed through a diffraction grating acquires a regular space structure and the interaction of another particle with this atom can be thought of as scattering on a 'quantum grating' composed of a single atom. Probing this 'grating' by collisions with charged projectiles reveals interference effects due to coherent contributions of its 'slits' to the transition amplitude. In particular, the spectra of electrons emitted from the atom in collisions with swift ions exhibit a pronounced interference pattern whose shape can be extremely sensitive to the collision velocity.
The wave function of an atom, which passed through a diffraction grating, is characterized by a regular space structure. Correspondingly, the interaction of another particle with this atom can be viewed as scattering on an ‘atomic quantum grating’ made of just a single atom. Probing this ‘grating’ by collisions with a charged projectile reveals few-body interference phenomena caused by the coherent contributions of its ‘slits’ to the transition amplitude (the superposition principle) and quantum entanglement of the particles involved. In particular, the spectra of electrons emitted from the atom in collisions with swift ions exhibit a pronounced interference pattern whose shape can be extremely sensitive to the collision velocity.
Evidence is given for Young-type interferences caused by a single electron acting on a given double-center scatterer analogous to an atomic-size double-slit system. The electron is provided by autoionization of a doubly excited He atom following the capture of the electrons of H2 by a He2+ incoming ion. The autoionizing projectile is a single-electron source, independent of the interferometer provided by the two H+ centers of the fully ionized H2 molecule. This experiment resembles the famous thought experiment imagined by Feynman in 1963, in which the quantum nature of the electron is illustrated from a Young-like double-slit experiment. Well-defined oscillations are visible in the angular distribution of the scattered electrons, showing that each electron interferes with itself.