Atom optical element synthesized by biomaterials

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Atom optics deals with optical phenomena of atomic beams, such as diffraction and interference, caused by the wave nature of matter. Diffraction gratings in optics have lattice constants of the order of microns. Correspondingly, those in atom optics require periodic structures of the order of nanometers since de Broglie wavelengths of atoms are extremely short. Our final goal is to develop an atom-optical grating with a 2-dimensional magnetic nanoparticle array synthesized and organized by biomaterials. The periodic Zeeman potential produced by the magnetic nanoparticles works as a reflective grating for atoms with spins. Towards the atom scattering experiment, we constructed a slow and coherent Cs beam source using laser cooling and trapping techniques. We also developed a new method of producing a 2-dimensional single crystal of ferritins, each of which contains a Fe3O4 nanoparticle.