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

Annual Meeting Optical Society of America

Diffraction of metastable helium atoms by a transmission grating

O. Carnal, A. Faulstich, J. Mlynek

Published Jan 1, 1990• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have measured the diffraction of metastable helium atoms by a transmission grating with a period of 500 nm. The atomic beam is derived from a supersonic nozzle by adiabatic gas expansion with a velocity ratio v/Δv 20; with the nozzle cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature, the corresponding de Broglie wave length of the helium atoms is 1.08 Å. We have observed diffraction peaks up to the third order with a good signal-to-noise ratio. The position and the height of the different orders are in satisfactory agreement with the measured grating shape and the mean velocity in the atomic beam. As was pointed out previously, such transmission gratings offer one way to realize an atom-wave interferometer.1 In this context, our results demonstrate that an efficient diffraction can also be obtained with excited-state atoms: Here the use of metastable rare-gas atoms is of special interest because they are easy to handle and can be detected on almost zero background. As an alternative to the use of transmission gratings in matter-wave interferometry, we also discuss a simple double-slit arrangement that may provide another approach to the study of atomic interference phenomena.

DOI
10.1364/oam.1990.fr3

Related papers

Atom diffraction with a ‘natural’ metastable atom nozzle beam

J.‐C. Karam, N Wipf, Jules Grucker +7 more

The resonant metastability-exchange process is used to obtain a metastable atom beam with intrinsic properties close to those of a ground-state atom nozzle beam (small angular aperture, narrow velocity distribution). The estimated effective source diameter (15 µm) is small enough to provide at a distance of 597 mm a transverse coherence radius of about 873 nm for argon, 1236 nm for neon and 1660 nm for helium. It is demonstrated both by experiment and numerical calculations with He*, Ne* and Ar* metastable atoms, that this beam gives rise to diffraction effects on the transmitted angular pattern of a silicon-nitride nano-slit grating (period 100 nm). Observed patterns are in good agreement with previous measurements with He* and Ne* metastable atoms. For argon, a calculation taking into account the angular aperture of the beam (0.35 mrad) and the effect of the van der Waals interaction—the van der Waals constant C 3 = 1.83 +0.1 −0.15 au being derived from spectroscopic data—leads to a good agreement with experiment.

Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Jul 18, 2005•21 citations

Atomoptische Interferenz- und Lithographieexperimente mit metastabilem Helium

S. Nowak

In this thesis experiments are described, where a beam of metastable helium is used for atom optic interferometry experiments as well as for lithography. The broad potential of atom optics for fundamental as well as applied research could thus be used. In the first experiment described in this work, dealing with atom lithography, a lithographic resist technique was implemented, basing on the structural changes of single molecules of a self-assembling monolayer of dodecanethiol due to Penning processes induced by metastable helium atoms. This molecular layer could be laterally structured with respect to its hydrophobicity properties. In a chemical etching step, the structure in the local wetability could be transferred into an underlying gold layer, producing sharp structures there. It could be shown experimentally, that this change of the wetability is essential for the process. In the second experiment, the Talbot effect was investigated with de-Broglie waves, which is the phenomenon of interferometric self imaging of a transmission grating at the characteristic distance of the Talbot length from the grating. Special interest was taken in the demonstration of the fractional Talbot effect, that is the self imaging of the transmission grating with reduced period, because this effect is in principle useful for the production of very small structures in the atomic density distribution of an atom beam. Fractional self imaging up to seventh order with periods of one micron could be observed in the experiment. The third experiment is on diffraction of de-Broglie waves by a wire and on refraction of atomic de-Broglie waves by a rotationally symmetric potential. The Poisson interference spot in the center of the shadow of the wire was experimentally demonstrated as well as Fresnel diffraction fringes at the edges of the wire. Well defined voltages could be applied to two plate electodes opposite the wire, producing a radial electric field in the vicini

•Jan 1, 1998•0 citations

Diffraction of Atoms by a Transmission Grating

David W. Keith, Mark L. Schattenburg, Henry I. Smith +1 more

We have demonstrated a novel diffraction grating for atoms. A collimated beam of sodium atoms with a de Broglie wavelength of 17 pm was diffracted by transmission through an array of slits with a spatial period of 0.2 \ensuremath{\mu}m formed in a gold membrane. This is the first reported diffraction of atoms by a fabricated periodic structure. Our transmission grating for atoms can divide or recombine an atomic beam coherently, and may provide the easiest route to the realization of an atom wave interferometer.

Physical Review Letters•Oct 3, 1988•199 citations

Young’s double-slit experiment with atoms: A simple atom interferometer

O. Carnal, J. Mlynek

An atomic interferometer based on a Young's-type double-slit arrangement has been demonstrated. A supersonic beam of metastable helium atoms passes through a 2-\ensuremath{\mu}m-wide slit in a thin gold foil. This transversely coherent beam impinges on a second microfabricated transmission structure, consisting of two 1-\ensuremath{\mu}m-wide slits at a lateral distance of 8 \ensuremath{\mu}m. This double slit defines two possible paths on which the atoms can reach the detector slit. The good visibility of the observed fringes should make it possible to measure differential phase shifts in the interferometer of 1/3 rad in less than 10 min.

Physical Review Letters•May 27, 1991•627 citations

Zero-order filter for diffractive focusing of de Broglie matter waves

Sabrina D. Eder, A. K. Ravn, B. Samelin +6 more

The manipulation of neutral atoms and molecules via their de Broglie wave properties, also referred to as de Broglie matter wave optics, is relevant for several fields ranging from fundamental quantum mechanics tests and quantum metrology to measurements of interaction potentials and new imaging techniques. However, there are several challenges. For example, for diffractive focusing elements, the zero-order beam provides a challenge because it decreases the signal contrast. Here we present the experimental realization of a zero-order filter, also referred to as an order-sorting aperture for de Broglie matter wave diffractive focusing elements. The zero-order filter makes it possible to measure even at low beam intensities. We present measurements of zero-order filtered, focused, neutral helium beams generated at source stagnation pressures between 11 and 81 bars. We show that for certain conditions the atom focusing at lower source stagnation pressures (broader velocity distributions) is better than what has previously been predicted. We present simulations with the software ray-tracing simulation package mcstas using a realistic helium source configuration, which gives very good agreement with our measurements.

Physical Review A•Feb 21, 2017•15 citations

Diffraction of Metastable Rare-Gas Atoms from Nanostructured Transmission Gratings

Walter, Christian

Rare-gas atoms are diffracted from nanostructured silicon nitride transmission gratings. From the relative intensities of the diffraction maxima the strength of the van der Waals potential between the atoms and the grating bars is inferred. The method is set out theoretically and is validated with the help of several sets of experimental data. The atom-surface potential of metastable helium and -neon is accurately measured for the first time. The atom-optical method is shown to bear a high potential for new versatile and even more accurate measurements of atom-surface potentials.

•Jan 1, 2003•1 citation
We have measured the diffraction of metastable helium atoms by a transmission grating with a period of 500 nm. The atomic beam is derived from a supersonic nozzle by adiabatic gas expansion with a velocity ratio v/Δv 20; with the nozzle cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature, the corresponding de Broglie wave length of the helium atoms is 1.08 Å. We have observed diffraction peaks up to the third order with a good signal-to-noise ratio. The position and the height of the different orders are in satisfactory agreement with the measured grating shape and the mean velocity in the atomic beam. As was pointed out previously, such transmission gratings offer one way to realize an atom-wave interferometer.1 In this context, our results demonstrate that an efficient diffraction can also be obtained with excited-state atoms: Here the use of metastable rare-gas atoms is of special interest because they are easy to handle and can be detected on almost zero background. As an alternative to the use of transmission gratings in matter-wave interferometry, we also discuss a simple double-slit arrangement that may provide another approach to the study of atomic interference phenomena.
The resonant metastability-exchange process is used to obtain a metastable atom beam with intrinsic properties close to those of a ground-state atom nozzle beam (small angular aperture, narrow velocity distribution). The estimated effective source diameter (15 µm) is small enough to provide at a distance of 597 mm a transverse coherence radius of about 873 nm for argon, 1236 nm for neon and 1660 nm for helium. It is demonstrated both by experiment and numerical calculations with He*, Ne* and Ar* metastable atoms, that this beam gives rise to diffraction effects on the transmitted angular pattern of a silicon-nitride nano-slit grating (period 100 nm). Observed patterns are in good agreement with previous measurements with He* and Ne* metastable atoms. For argon, a calculation taking into account the angular aperture of the beam (0.35 mrad) and the effect of the van der Waals interaction—the van der Waals constant C 3 = 1.83 +0.1 −0.15 au being derived from spectroscopic data—leads to a good agreement with experiment.
In this thesis experiments are described, where a beam of metastable helium is used for atom optic interferometry experiments as well as for lithography. The broad potential of atom optics for fundamental as well as applied research could thus be used. In the first experiment described in this work, dealing with atom lithography, a lithographic resist technique was implemented, basing on the structural changes of single molecules of a self-assembling monolayer of dodecanethiol due to Penning processes induced by metastable helium atoms. This molecular layer could be laterally structured with respect to its hydrophobicity properties. In a chemical etching step, the structure in the local wetability could be transferred into an underlying gold layer, producing sharp structures there. It could be shown experimentally, that this change of the wetability is essential for the process. In the second experiment, the Talbot effect was investigated with de-Broglie waves, which is the phenomenon of interferometric self imaging of a transmission grating at the characteristic distance of the Talbot length from the grating. Special interest was taken in the demonstration of the fractional Talbot effect, that is the self imaging of the transmission grating with reduced period, because this effect is in principle useful for the production of very small structures in the atomic density distribution of an atom beam. Fractional self imaging up to seventh order with periods of one micron could be observed in the experiment. The third experiment is on diffraction of de-Broglie waves by a wire and on refraction of atomic de-Broglie waves by a rotationally symmetric potential. The Poisson interference spot in the center of the shadow of the wire was experimentally demonstrated as well as Fresnel diffraction fringes at the edges of the wire. Well defined voltages could be applied to two plate electodes opposite the wire, producing a radial electric field in the vicini
We have demonstrated a novel diffraction grating for atoms. A collimated beam of sodium atoms with a de Broglie wavelength of 17 pm was diffracted by transmission through an array of slits with a spatial period of 0.2 \ensuremath{\mu}m formed in a gold membrane. This is the first reported diffraction of atoms by a fabricated periodic structure. Our transmission grating for atoms can divide or recombine an atomic beam coherently, and may provide the easiest route to the realization of an atom wave interferometer.
An atomic interferometer based on a Young's-type double-slit arrangement has been demonstrated. A supersonic beam of metastable helium atoms passes through a 2-\ensuremath{\mu}m-wide slit in a thin gold foil. This transversely coherent beam impinges on a second microfabricated transmission structure, consisting of two 1-\ensuremath{\mu}m-wide slits at a lateral distance of 8 \ensuremath{\mu}m. This double slit defines two possible paths on which the atoms can reach the detector slit. The good visibility of the observed fringes should make it possible to measure differential phase shifts in the interferometer of 1/3 rad in less than 10 min.
The manipulation of neutral atoms and molecules via their de Broglie wave properties, also referred to as de Broglie matter wave optics, is relevant for several fields ranging from fundamental quantum mechanics tests and quantum metrology to measurements of interaction potentials and new imaging techniques. However, there are several challenges. For example, for diffractive focusing elements, the zero-order beam provides a challenge because it decreases the signal contrast. Here we present the experimental realization of a zero-order filter, also referred to as an order-sorting aperture for de Broglie matter wave diffractive focusing elements. The zero-order filter makes it possible to measure even at low beam intensities. We present measurements of zero-order filtered, focused, neutral helium beams generated at source stagnation pressures between 11 and 81 bars. We show that for certain conditions the atom focusing at lower source stagnation pressures (broader velocity distributions) is better than what has previously been predicted. We present simulations with the software ray-tracing simulation package mcstas using a realistic helium source configuration, which gives very good agreement with our measurements.
Rare-gas atoms are diffracted from nanostructured silicon nitride transmission gratings. From the relative intensities of the diffraction maxima the strength of the van der Waals potential between the atoms and the grating bars is inferred. The method is set out theoretically and is validated with the help of several sets of experimental data. The atom-surface potential of metastable helium and -neon is accurately measured for the first time. The atom-optical method is shown to bear a high potential for new versatile and even more accurate measurements of atom-surface potentials.