NER: Molecule Diffraction and Interferometry Using NanoStructures

控制强相互作用粒子的量子相干性是量子工程中的重大挑战之一。在这种情况下，与原子和中子相比，极性分子和电子的相互作用更强，因为它们的电偶极矩和电荷。这些粒子从纳米尺度结构中的相干衍射将使我们能够通过观察其德布罗意波干涉条纹中的位相和对比度来直接测量对其量子态的任何扰动。此外，极性分子的衍射和干涉代表了纳米技术、凝聚态物理和原子物理之间的界面研究。具有100纳米周期的改进的光栅使一些原子物理和原子表面研究成为可能。这项NER计划的目的是进一步发展纳米结构光栅技术来研究极性分子、原子团以及电子。这项研究是探索性的，因为带电粒子甚至是具有大偶极矩的分子都容易发生退相干。与环境的相互作用，如从背景气体散射分子，或由于杂散电场而导致的反相，将降低干涉图案的对比度。甚至与纳米结构光栅本身的相互作用也可能限制分子波的相位相干性。这项研究将证明使用纳米技术光栅对极性分子和电子进行物质波干涉测量的可行性。一旦证明，使用分子和电子干涉仪进行几个实验是可能的。分子干涉仪的一个应用是测量孤立分子和几纳米外表面之间的范德华相互作用。另一个应用是测量分子和团簇的极化率的张量分量。此外，还将研究分子惯性传感和低能电子全息术。更广泛的Impact分子干涉仪是超精密加速度计和陀螺仪的理想候选者。由于其波长较短，分子干涉仪将在给定一秒积分时间的情况下，对低于1E-9弧度每秒的转速提供灵敏度。具有这种灵敏度的陀螺仪将在地球物理和基础物理研究中引起人们的兴趣。来自纳米格栅的电子衍射可能会给电子全息术带来革命性的变化。由于纳米结构在纳米尺度上具有实际狭缝的传输光学作用，这些光栅将使电子全息术的电子能量比目前可能的电子能量低两个数量级。教育将是这项拟议工作的主要成果。目前有三名研究生和四名本科生在PI从事原子光学方面的工作。有两名学生将光学科学中心作为他们的主系，因此我们正在建立物理系和亚利桑那大学光学科学中心之间的牢固联系。我们的实验室每年为高中生、工程师、本科生、研究生和参观者提供约30次参观。P.I.每学期还教授物理课程，并就量子光学和物质波干涉计量学的新发展发表演讲。这一外联活动与网络出版物和期刊文章相结合，以交流成果。

Controlling the quantum coherence of strongly interacting particles is one of the grand challenges in quantum engineering. In this context, polar molecules and electrons are strongly interacting compared to atoms and neutrons, because of their electric dipole moment and electric charge. Coherent diffraction of these particles from nano-scale structures will allow us to measure any perturbations to their quantum state directly by observing the phase and contrast in their de Broglie wave interference fringes.Furthermore, diffraction and interference of polar molecules represents research at the interface between nanotechnology, condensed matter physics, and atomic physics. Improved gratings with a 100-nanometer period have enabled several atomic physics and atom-surface studies. The purpose of this NER proposal is to further develop nanostructure grating technology to study polar molecules, clusters of atoms, and also electrons. This research is exploratory because charged particles or even molecules with large dipole moments are prone to decoherence. Interactions with the environment, such as scattering molecules from a background gas, or de-phasing due to stray electric fields, will reduce the contrast of interference patterns. Even interactions with the nanostructure gratings themselves may limit the phase coherence of molecule waves. This research will prove the feasibility of matter wave interferometry with polar molecules and electrons using nanotechnology gratings.Once proven, several experiments are possible with molecule and electron interferometers. One application of a molecular interferometer is the measurement of van der Waals interactions between isolated molecules and surfaces a few nanometers away. Another application is to measure the tensor components of polarizability for molecules and clusters. Inertial sensing with molecules and holography with low energy electrons will also be studied. Broader ImpactMolecular interferometers are good candidates for ultra precise accelerometers and gyroscopes. Because of their short wavelengths, molecular interferometers will provide sensitivity to rotation rates smaller than 1E-9 radians per second given one second of integration time. Gyroscopes with this sensitivity will be of interest to geophysics as well as fundamental physics studies.Electron diffraction from nanofabricated gratings could revolutionize electron holography. Because the nanostructures work as transmission optics with actual slots on the nanoscale, these gratings will enable electron holography with two orders of magnitude smaller electron energy than presently is possible.Education will be a major result of this proposed work. Currently three graduate students, and four undergraduates work on atom optics with the PI. Two students have the Optical Sciences Center as their home department, so we are building strong ties between the Physics Department and Optical Sciences Center at the University of Arizona. Our laboratory gives approximately 30 tours a year to groups of high school students, engineers, undergraduate classes, graduate students and visitors. The P.I. also teaches physics classes each semester and gives talks on quantum optics and new developments in matter wave interferometry. This outreach is combined with web publications and journal articles to communicate results.