Probing molecular photophysics in a matter-wave interferometer

Author(s)
Lukas Martinetz, Benjamin A. Stickler, Ksenija Simonović, Richard Ferstl, Christian Brand, Markus Arndt, Klaus Hornberger
Abstract

We show that matter-wave diffraction off a single standing laser wave can be used as an accurate measurement scheme for photophysical molecular parameters. These include state-dependent optical polarizabilities and photon-absorption cross sections, the relaxation rates for fluorescence, internal conversion, and intersystem crossing, as well as ionization or cleavage probabilities. We discuss how the different photophysical processes manifest as features of the interference pattern, and we determine the accuracy of molecular parameters estimated from a realistic measurement with finite particle numbers. The analysis is based on an analytic calculation in Wigner representation, which accounts for the laser-induced coherent and incoherent dynamics, for the finite longitudinal and transverse coherence in the matter-wave beam, the gravitational and Coriolis acceleration, and an imperfect standing laser wave.

Organisation(s)
Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information
External organisation(s)
Universität Duisburg-Essen, Universität Ulm, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
Journal
Physical Review Research
Volume
6
No. of pages
17
ISSN
2643-1564
DOI
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2407.18775
Publication date
12-2024
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103025 Quantum mechanics, 103005 Atomic physics, 103021 Optics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
General Physics and Astronomy
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/b626b784-d551-49af-b30e-64a48c2c7c67