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arXiv · 1208.4868

Observation of Free-Space Single-Atom Matterwave Interference

L. Paul Parazzoli·Aaron M. Hankin·Grant W. Biedermann
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Abstract

We observe matterwave interference of a single cesium atom in free fall. The interferometer is an absolute sensor of acceleration and we show that this technique is sensitive to forces at the level of $3.2\times10^{-27}$ N with a spatial resolution at the micron scale. We observe the build up of the interference pattern one atom at a time in an interferometer where the mean path separation extends far beyond the coherence length of the atom. Using the coherence length of the atom wavepacket as a metric, we directly probe the velocity distribution and measure the temperature of a single atom in free fall.

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L. Paul Parazzoli, Aaron M. Hankin, Grant W. Biedermann. 2012-08-23. Observation of Free-Space Single-Atom Matterwave Interference. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.109.230401

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