Influence of molecular temperature on the coherence of fullerenes in a near-field interferometer
arXiv:quant-ph/0412003 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.71.023601
Abstract
We study C70 fullerene matter waves in a Talbot-Lau interferometer as a function of their temperature. While the ideal fringe visibility is observed at moderate molecular temperatures, we find a gradual degradation of the interference contrast if the molecules are heated before entering the interferometer. A method is developed to assess the distribution of the micro-canonical temperatures of the molecules in free flight. This way the heating-dependent reduction of interference contrast can be compared with the predictions of quantum theory. We find that the observed loss of coherence agrees quantitatively with the expected decoherence rate due to the thermal radiation emitted by the hot molecules.
arXiv comment11 pages, 9 figures
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- Optical polarizabilities of large molecules measured in near-field interferometry
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- Absolute absorption spectroscopy based on molecule interferometry
- Thermal limitation of far-field matter-wave interference
- Quantum interference with molecules: The role of internal states
- Reduced coherence in double-slit diffraction of neutrons
- Matter waves in the Talbot-Lau interferometry
- Decoherence: From Interpretation to Experiment
- Multi-photon absorption in optical gratings for matter waves
- Experimental decoherence in molecule interferometry
- Interference of mesoscopic particles: quantum--classical transition