Dynamic Double-Slit Experiment in a Single Atom

A single-atom "double-slit" experiment is realized by photoionizing rubidium atoms using two independent low power lasers. The photoelectron wave of well-defined energy recedes to the continuum either from the 5P or 6P states in the same atom, resulting in two-path interference imaged in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2019-02, Vol.122 (5), p.053204-053204, Article 053204
Main Authors: Pursehouse, James, Murray, Andrew James, Wätzel, Jonas, Berakdar, Jamal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coulomb potential
Dynamic control
Excitation
Experiments
Far fields
Interference
Ionization
Laser beams
Lasers
Phase transitions
Photoelectrons
Photoionization
Rubidium
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Summary:A single-atom "double-slit" experiment is realized by photoionizing rubidium atoms using two independent low power lasers. The photoelectron wave of well-defined energy recedes to the continuum either from the 5P or 6P states in the same atom, resulting in two-path interference imaged in the far field using a photoelectron detector. Even though the lasers are independent and not phase locked, the transitions within the atom impart the phase relationship necessary for interference. The experiment is designed so that either 5P or 6P states are excited by one laser, before ionization by the second beam. The measurement cannot determine which excitation path is taken, resulting in interference in wave-vector space analogous to Young's double-slit studies. As the lasers are tunable in both frequency and intensity, the individual excitation-ionization pathways can be varied, allowing dynamic control of the interference term. Since the electron wave recedes in the Coulomb potential of the residual ion, a quantum model is used to capture the dynamics. Excellent agreement is found between theory and experiment.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.053204