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arXiv:quant-ph/0303093 · Physical Review Letters

Collisional Decoherence Observed in Matter Wave Interferometry

Klaus Hornberger, S. Uttenthaler, Björn Brezger, Lucia Hackermüller, Markus Arndt, Anton Zeilinger

Published Apr 22, 2003• 290 citations
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Abstract

We study the loss of spatial coherence in the extended wave function of fullerenes due to collisions with background gases. From the gradual suppression of quantum interference with increasing gas pressure we are able to support quantitatively both the predictions of decoherence theory and our picture of the interaction process. We thus explore the practical limits of matter wave interferometry at finite gas pressures and estimate the required experimental vacuum conditions for interferometry with even larger objects.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.90.160401

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Decoherence is the main process behind the quantum to classical transition. It is a purely quantum mechanical effect by which the system loses its ability to exhibit coherent behavior. The recent experimental observation of diffraction and interference patterns for large molecules raises some interesting questions. In this context, we identify possible agents of decoherence to take into account when modeling these experiments, and study their visible (or not) effects on the interference pattern. We thereby present an analysis of matter wave interferometry in the presence of a dynamic quantum environment, and study how much the visibility fringe is reduced and in which timescale the decoherence effects destroy the interference of massive objects. Finally, we apply our results to the experimental data reported on fullerenes and cold neutrons.
Decoherence is the main process behind the quantum to classical transition. It is a purely quantum mechanical effect by which the system loses its ability to exhibit coherent behavior. The recent experimental observation of diffraction and interference patterns for large molecules raises some interesting questions. In this context, we identify possible agents of decoherence to take into account when modeling these experiments, and study their visible (or not) effects on the interference pattern. We thereby present an analysis of matter wave interferometry in the presence of a dynamic quantum environment, and study how much the visibility fringe is reduced and in which timescale the decoherence effects destroy the interference of massive objects. Finally, we apply our results to the experimental data reported on fullerenes and cold neutrons. © World Scientific Publishing Company.
The present thesis deals with two main topics. First, I study in detail the interaction of a delocalized molecular matter-wave with a standing-wave laser grating. Due to absorption of photons in an optical grating, molecules can get excited and numerous internal photophysical processes are induced. For the theoretical description of the molecule-light interaction I take three relevant internal molecular processes into account: intersystem crossing, fluorescence and internal conversion. Furthermore, the fact that molecules can change their optical properties because of the photoexcitation is shown to have a measurable effect on matter-wave interferometry. The second topic of this thesis is about collisions between a polar molecule and non-polar environmental gas atoms, and their effects on the coherence of the center-of-mass state. Because the scattering potential depends on the molecular orientation the molecular rotational state must also be considered. Assuming a slow rotation of the molecule compared to the scattering time and that the molecular mass fairly exceeds the mass of a gas atom, I present a master equation of collisional decoherence, which depends on the molecular orientation. Its predictions for matter-wave interferometry are discussed both in the near and far field.