Diffraction of atomic matter waves through crystalline materials
Hovedinnhold
Christian Brand, German Aerospace Center
Abstract:
Matter-wave diffraction is widely used for precision measurements, in fundamental sciences, and materials research. For investigating materials in transmission, both electron and neutron diffraction are common and well-established solutions. However, there are some limitations, for instance, in the study of radiation-sensitive materials. To overcome these, we aim to complement these techniques by coherent diffraction of atomic matter waves through crystalline materials [1]. Within this talk, we show first experimental results. Using atoms with a kinetic energy in the keV-range, we observe detailed patterns that result from interaction with the natural lattice of the crystalline gratings. This observation is remarkable as the atoms have sufficient energy to excite the membrane, which is expected to lead to decoherence and thus prevent coherent diffraction. We will discuss possible applications in the fields of materials research and fundamental science.
[1] Brand et al., New J. Phys. 21, 033004 (2019)
Bio:
After completing his PhD in chemistry with distinction, Christian Brand joined the group of Markus Arndt at the University of Vienna to work on novel matter-wave beam splitters for complex molecules. For his work, he has been awarded with a Feodor-Lynen Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Young Scientist Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics by the European Physical Society. Currently, he leads a department at the Institute of Quantum Technologies of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). His research focuses on the diffraction of fast atomic beams and field sensors based on Rydberg atoms.
