Abstract
The wave function of an atom, which passed through a diffraction grating, is characterized by a regular space structure. Correspondingly, the interaction of another particle with this atom can be viewed as scattering on an ‘atomic quantum grating’ made of just a single atom. Probing this ‘grating’ by collisions with a charged projectile reveals few-body interference phenomena caused by the coherent contributions of its ‘slits’ to the transition amplitude (the superposition principle) and quantum entanglement of the particles involved. In particular, the spectra of electrons emitted from the atom in collisions with swift ions exhibit a pronounced interference pattern whose shape can be extremely sensitive to the collision velocity.
Funder
National Key Research and Development Program of China
Subject
Condensed Matter Physics,Nuclear and High Energy Physics,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
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