Analysis of the loss of coherence in interferometry with macromolecules

We provide a self-contained quantum description of the interference produced by macromolecules diffracted by a grating, with particular reference to fullerene interferometry experiments. We analyze the processes inducing loss of coherence consisting in beam preparation (collimation setup and thermal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. A, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics Atomic, molecular, and optical physics, 2003-12, Vol.68 (6), Article 063610
Main Authors: Viale, A., Vicari, M., Zanghì, N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
DE BROGLIE WAVELENGTH
DIFFRACTION GRATINGS
DISTURBANCES
FULLERENES
GRATINGS
INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
INTERFERENCE
INTERFEROMETRY
OPTICS
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Summary:We provide a self-contained quantum description of the interference produced by macromolecules diffracted by a grating, with particular reference to fullerene interferometry experiments. We analyze the processes inducing loss of coherence consisting in beam preparation (collimation setup and thermal spread of the wavelengths of the macromolecules) and in environmental disturbances. The results show a good agreement with experimental data and highlight the analogy with optics. Our analysis gives some hints for planning future experiments.
ISSN:1050-2947
1094-1622
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevA.68.063610