Asymmetric Talbot-Lau interferometry for inertial sensing

Abstract

We study in detail a peculiar configuration of the Talbot-Lau matter wave interferometer, characterised by unequal distances between the two diffraction gratings and the observation plane. We refer to this apparatus as the "asymmetric Talbot-Lau setup". Particular attention is given to its capabilities as an inertial sensor for particle and atomic beams, also in comparison with the classical moiré deflectometer. The present analysis is motivated by possible experimental applications in the context of antimatter wave interferometry, including the measurement of the gravitational acceleration of antimatter particles. To support our findings, we have performed numerical simulations of realistic particle beams with varying speed distributions.

14 pages; 10 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Theory of near-field matter wave interference beyond the eikonal approximation
• Testing antimatter gravity with muonium
• Matter-wave interferometry: towards antimatter interferometers
• Detection of low energy antimatter with emulsions

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Precision Gravity Tests and the Einstein Equivalence Principle
• Producing long-lived $2^3\text{S}$ Ps via $3^3\text{P}$ laser excitation in magnetic and electric fields
• Limitations for field-enhanced atom interferometry
• Novel Concept for a Neutron Electric Charge Measurement using a Talbot-Lau Interferometer at a Pulsed Source
• Nuclear emulsions for the detection of micrometric-scale fringe patterns: an application to positron interferometry
• First observation of antimatter wave interference