Alexander Rembold

Biprism electron interferometry with a single atom tip source

Experiments with electron or ion matter waves require a coherent, monochromatic and long-term stable source with high brightness. These requirements are best fulfilled by single atom tip (SAT) field emitters. The performance of an iridium covered W(111) SAT is demonstrated and analyzed for electrons in a biprism interferometer. Furthermore we characterize the emission of the SAT in a separate field electron and field ion microscope and compare it with other emitter types. A new method is presented to fabricate the electrostatic charged biprism wire that separates and combines the matter wave. In contrast to other biprism interferometers the source and the biprism size are well defined within a few nanometers. The setup has direct applications in ion interferometry and Aharonov-Bohm physics.

Correction of dephasing oscillations in matter-wave interferometry

Vibrations, electromagnetic oscillations, and temperature drifts are among the main reasons for dephasing in matter-wave interferometry. Sophisticated interferometry experiments, e.g., with ions or heavy molecules, often require integration times of several minutes due to the low source intensity or the high velocity selection. Here we present a scheme to suppress the influence of such dephasing mechanisms—especially in the low-frequency regime—by analyzing temporal and spatial particle correlations available in modern detectors. Such correlations can reveal interference properties that would otherwise be washed out due to dephasing by external oscillating signals. The method is shown experimentally in a biprism electron interferometer where a perturbing oscillation is artificially introduced by a periodically varying magnetic field. We provide a full theoretical description of the particle correlations where the perturbing frequency and amplitude can be revealed from the disturbed interferogram. The original spatial fringe pattern without the perturbation can thereby be restored. The technique can be applied to lower the general noise requirements in matter-wave interferometers. It allows for the optimization of electromagnetic shielding and decreases the efforts for vibrational or temperature stabilization.

Effective beam separation schemes for the measurement of the electric Aharonov-Bohm effect in an ion interferometer

We propose an experiment for the first proof of the type I electric Aharonov-Bohm effect in an ion interferometer for hydrogen. The performances of three different beam separation schemes are simulated and compared. The coherent ion beam is generated by a single atom tip (SAT) source and separated by either two biprisms with a quadrupole lens, two biprisms with an einzel-lens or three biprisms. The beam path separation is necessary to introduce two metal tubes that can be pulsed with different electric potentials. The high time resolution of a delay line detector allows to work with a continuous ion beam and circumvents the pulsed beam operation as originally suggested by Aharonov and Bohm. We demonstrate that the higher mass and therefore lower velocity of ions compared to electrons combined with the high expected SAT ion emission puts the direct proof of this quantum effect for the first time into reach of current technical possibilities. Thereby a high detection rate of coherent ions is crucial to avoid long integration times that allow the influence of dephasing noise from the environment. We can determine the period of the expected matter wave interference pattern and the signal on the detector by determining the superposition angle of the coherent partial beams. Our simulations were tested with an electron interferometer setup and agree with the experimental results. We determine the separation scheme with three biprisms to be most efficient and predict a total signal acquisition time of only 80s to measure a phase shift from 0 to 2π due to the electric Aharonov-Bohm effect.

Multifrequency perturbations in matter-wave interferometry

High contrast matter-wave interferometry is essential in various fundamental quantum mechanical experiments as well as for technical applications. Thereby, contrast and sensitivity are typically reduced by decoherence and dephasing effects. While decoherence accounts for a general loss of quantum information in a system due to entanglement with the environment, dephasing is due to collective time-dependent external phase shifts, which can be related to temperature drifts, mechanical vibrations or electromagnetic oscillations. In contrast to decoherence, dephasing can in principle be reversed. Here, we demonstrate in experiment and theory a method for the analysis and reduction of the influence of dephasing noise and perturbations consisting of several external frequencies in an electron interferometer. This technique uses the high spatial and temporal resolution of a delay line detector to reveal and remove dephasing perturbations by second order correlation analysis. It allows matter-wave experiments under perturbingly lab conditions and can be applied in principle to electron, atom, ion, neutron and molecule interferometers.

A compact electron matter wave interferometer for sensor technology

Remarkable progress can be observed in recent years in the controlled emission, guiding, and detection of coherent, free electrons. Those methods were applied in matter wave interferometers leading to high phase sensitivities and precise sensor technologies for dephasing influences such as mechanical vibrations or electromagnetic frequencies. However, the previous devices have been large laboratory setups. For future sensor applications or tests of the coherence properties of an electron source, small, portable interferometers are required. Here, we demonstrate a compact biprism electron interferometer that can be used for mobile applications. The design was optimized for small dimensions by beam path simulations. The interferometer has a length between the tip and the superposition plane before magnification of only 47 mm and provides electron interference patterns with a contrast up to 42.7%. The detection of two dephasing frequencies at 50 and 150 Hz was demonstrated applying second order correlation a...

Coherent properties of a tunable low-energy electron-matter-wave source

A general challenge in various quantum experiments and applications is to develop suitable sources for coherent particles. In particular, recent progress in microscopy, interferometry, metrology, decoherence measurements and chip based applications rely on intensive, tunable, coherent sources for free low energy electron matter waves. In most cases, the electrons get field emitted from a metal nanotip where its radius and geometry towards a counter electrode determines the field distribution and the emission voltage. A higher emission is often connected to faster electrons with smaller de Broglie wavelengths, requiring larger pattern magnification after matter wave diffraction or interferometry. This can be prevented with a well-known setup consisting of two counter electrodes that allow independent setting of the beam intensity and velocity. However, it needs to be tested if the coherent properties of such a source are preserved after the acceleration and deceleration of the electrons. Here, we study the coherence of the beam in a biprism interferometer with a single atom tip electron field emitter if the particle velocity and wavelength varies after emission. With a Wien filter measurement and a contrast correlation analysis we demonstrate that the intensity of the source at a certain particle wavelength can be enhanced up to a factor of 33 without changing the transverse and longitudinal coherence of the electron beam. In addition, the energy width of the single atom tip emitter was measured to be 377 meV, corresponding to a longitudinal coherence length of 82 nm. The design has potential applications in interferometry, microscopy and sensor technology