Signature of short-range van der Waals forces observed in Poisson spot diffraction with indium atoms

Gack, N., Reitz, C., Hemmerich, J. L., Könne, M., Bennett, R. , Fiedler, J., Gleiter, H., Buhmann, S. Y., Hahn, H. and Reisinger, T. (2020) Signature of short-range van der Waals forces observed in Poisson spot diffraction with indium atoms. Physical Review Letters, 125(5), 050401. (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.050401)

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Abstract

The phase of de Broglie matter waves is a sensitive probe for small forces. In particular, the attractive van der Waals force experienced by polarizable atoms in the close vicinity of neutral surfaces is of importance in nanoscale systems. It results in a phase shift that can be observed in matter-wave diffraction experiments. Here, we observe Poisson spot diffraction of indium atoms at submillimeter distances behind spherical submicron silicon dioxide particles to probe the dispersion forces between atoms and the particle surfaces. We compare the measured relative intensity of Poisson’s spot to theoretical results derived from first principles in an earlier communication and find a clear signature of the atom-surface interaction.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:Support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is acknowl- edged by S. Y. B., J. F., and R. B. (Grants No. BU 1803/3-1 and No. BU 1803/6-1) as well as H. H. (Grant No. DFG 1344/24-1). J. F. acknowledges support from the Research Council of Norway (Project No. 250346). T. R. acknowl- edges support by the Ministry of Science, Research and Art of Baden-Württemberg via a Research Seed Capital (RISC) grant, as well as the Helmholtz Association.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Bennett, Dr Robert
Authors: Gack, N., Reitz, C., Hemmerich, J. L., Könne, M., Bennett, R., Fiedler, J., Gleiter, H., Buhmann, S. Y., Hahn, H., and Reisinger, T.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
Journal Name:Physical Review Letters
Publisher:American Physical Society
ISSN:0031-9007
ISSN (Online):1079-7114
Published Online:27 July 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 American Physical Society
First Published:First published in Physical Review Letters 125(5):050401
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

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