Green's function analysis of the Neutron Lloyd interferometer

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive Green's function analysis of the neutron Lloyd interferometer, exploring its potential as a tool for probing gravitational fields and fundamental physics beyond standard models.

Contribution

It provides a detailed theoretical framework for the neutron Lloyd interferometer, including the effects of gravitational fields, which was not previously fully analyzed.

Findings

Green's function approach applied to neutron interferometry

Analysis of gravitational effects on neutron interference patterns

Theoretical foundation for using the interferometer as a gravitational probe

Abstract

The neutron optical Lloyd interferometer can serve as a potent experiment for probing fundamental physics beyond the standard models of particles and cosmology. In this article, we provide a full Green's function analysis of a Lloyd interferometer in the limit that the reflecting mirror extends to the screen. We consider two distinct situations: first, we will review the theoretical case of no external fields being present. Subsequently, we will analyze the case in which a gravitational field is acting on the neutrons. The latter case provides the theory necessary for using a Lloyd interferometer as a probe of gravitational fields.