A Green's function approach to modeling molecular diffraction in the limit of ultra-thin gratings

Author(s)
Christian Brand, Johannes Fiedler, Thomas Juffmann, Michele Sclafani, Christian Knobloch, Stefan Scheel, Yigal Lilach, Ori Cheshnovsky, Markus Arndt
Abstract

In recent years, matter-wave diffraction at nano-mechanical structures has been used by several research groups to explore the quantum nature of atoms and molecules, to prove the existence of weakly bound molecules or to explore atom-surface interactions with high sensitivity. The particles' Casimir-Polder interaction with the diffraction grating leads to significant changes in the amplitude distribution of the diffraction pattern. This becomes particularly intriguing in the thin-grating limit, i.e. when the size of a complex molecule becomes comparable with the grating thickness and its rotation period comparable to the transit time through the mask. Here we analyze the predictive power of a Green's function scattering model and the constraints imposed by the finite control over real-world experimental factors on the nanoscale.

Organisation(s)
Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information
External organisation(s)
Universität Rostock, Stanford University, The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Tel Aviv University
Journal
Annalen der Physik
Volume
527
Pages
580-591
No. of pages
12
ISSN
0003-3804
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/andp.201500214
Publication date
10-2015
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103024 Quantum field theory, 103026 Quantum optics
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Physics and Astronomy(all)
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/a-greens-function-approach-to-modeling-molecular-diffraction-in-the-limit-of-ultrathin-gratings(0452fcad-a5cd-43cc-a747-8fad730200c9).html