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arxiv: 1208.4868 · v1 · pith:HOUWP5Z2new · submitted 2012-08-23 · ⚛️ physics.atom-ph

Observation of Free-Space Single-Atom Matterwave Interference

classification ⚛️ physics.atom-ph
keywords atominterferencecoherencefallfreeinterferometerlengthmatterwave
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We observe matterwave interference of a single cesium atom in free fall. The interferometer is an absolute sensor of acceleration and we show that this technique is sensitive to forces at the level of $3.2\times10^{-27}$ N with a spatial resolution at the micron scale. We observe the build up of the interference pattern one atom at a time in an interferometer where the mean path separation extends far beyond the coherence length of the atom. Using the coherence length of the atom wavepacket as a metric, we directly probe the velocity distribution and measure the temperature of a single atom in free fall.

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