TY - JOUR
T1 - Single-, double-, and triple-slit diffraction of molecular matter waves
AU - Brand, Christian
AU - Troyer, Stephan
AU - Knobloch, Christian
AU - Cheshnovsky, Ori
AU - Arndt, Markus
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Author(s).
PY - 2021/12/1
Y1 - 2021/12/1
N2 - Even 100 years after its introduction by Louis de Broglie, the wave-nature of matter is often regarded as a mind-boggling phenomenon. To give an intuitive introduction to this field, we here discuss the diffraction of massive molecules through a single, a double, and a triple slit, as well as a nanomechanical grating. While the experiments are in good agreement with undergraduate textbook predictions, we also observe pronounced differences resulting from the molecules' mass and internal complexity. The molecules' polarizability causes an attractive van der Waals interaction with the slit walls, which can be modified by rotating the nanomechanical mask with respect to the molecular beam. The text is meant to introduce students and teachers to the concepts of molecule diffraction, supported by problems and solutions that can be discussed in class.
AB - Even 100 years after its introduction by Louis de Broglie, the wave-nature of matter is often regarded as a mind-boggling phenomenon. To give an intuitive introduction to this field, we here discuss the diffraction of massive molecules through a single, a double, and a triple slit, as well as a nanomechanical grating. While the experiments are in good agreement with undergraduate textbook predictions, we also observe pronounced differences resulting from the molecules' mass and internal complexity. The molecules' polarizability causes an attractive van der Waals interaction with the slit walls, which can be modified by rotating the nanomechanical mask with respect to the molecular beam. The text is meant to introduce students and teachers to the concepts of molecule diffraction, supported by problems and solutions that can be discussed in class.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120089841&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1119/5.0058805
DO - 10.1119/5.0058805
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AN - SCOPUS:85120089841
SN - 0002-9505
VL - 89
SP - 1132
EP - 1138
JO - American Journal of Physics
JF - American Journal of Physics
IS - 12
ER -