New prospects for de Broglie interferometry

TL;DR

This paper explores advanced matter wave interference phenomena with massive nanoparticles, comparing traditional grating interference with Poisson's spot, and discusses experimental prospects and challenges for observing quantum effects at larger mass scales.

Contribution

It introduces the potential to observe matter wave interference effects like Poisson's spot in much larger nanoparticles than currently possible, highlighting experimental requirements and limitations.

Findings

Both phenomena could be observed in nanoparticles over two orders of magnitude heavier than current experiments.

Poisson's spot offers non-dispersive interference, aiding quantum-classical distinction.

Van der Waals forces may complicate the interpretation of interference patterns for polarizable particles.

Abstract

We consider various effects that are encountered in matter wave interference experiments with massive nanoparticles. The text-book example of far-field interference at a grating is compared with diffraction into the dark field behind an opaque aperture, commonly designated as Poisson's spot or the spot of Arago. Our estimates indicate that both phenomena may still be observed in a mass range exceeding present-day experiments by at least two orders of magnitude. They both require, however, the development of sufficiently cold, intense and coherent cluster beams. While the observation of Poisson's spot offers the advantage of non-dispersiveness and a simple distinction between classical and quantum fringes in the absence of particle wall interactions, van der Waals forces may severely limit the distinguishability between genuine quantum wave diffraction and classically explicable spots already for moderately polarizable objects and diffraction elements as thin as 100 nm.