Observation of free-space single-atom matter wave interference.
We observe matter wave 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 3.2×10(-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 a free-space interferometer where the mean path separation extends far beyond the coherence length of the atom. Using the coherence length of the atom wave packet as a metric, we directly probe the velocity distribution and measure the temperature of a single atom in free fall.
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA.
L P
LP
Parazzoli
A M
AM
Hankin
G W
GW
Biedermann