Real-time single-molecule imaging of quantum interference
- Author(s)
- Thomas Juffmann, Adriana Milic, Michael Müllneritsch, Peter Asenbaum, Alexander Tsukernik, Jens Tüxen, Marcel Mayor, Ori Cheshnovsky, Markus Arndt
- Abstract
The observation of interference patterns in double-slit experiments with massive particles is generally regarded as the ultimate demonstration of the quantum nature of these objects. Such matter-wave interference has been observed for electrons(1), neutrons(2), atoms(3,4) and molecules(5-7) and, in contrast to classical physics, quantum interference can be observed when single particles arrive at the detector one by one. The build-up of such patterns in experiments with electrons has been described as the "most beautiful experiment in physics"(8-11). Here, we show how a combination of nanofabrication and nano-imaging allows us to record the full two-dimensional build-up of quantum interference patterns in real time for phthalocyanine molecules and for derivatives of phthalocyanine molecules, which have masses of 514 AMU and 1,298 AMU respectively. A laser-controlled micro-evaporation source was used to produce a beam of molecules with the required intensity and coherence, and the gratings were machined in 10-nm-thick silicon nitride membranes to reduce the effect of van der Waals forces. Wide-field fluorescence microscopy detected the position of each molecule with an accuracy of 10 nm and revealed the build-up of a deterministic ensemble interference pattern from single molecules that arrived stochastically at the detector. In addition to providing this particularly clear demonstration of wave-particle duality, our approach could also be used to study larger molecules and explore the boundary between quantum and classical physics.
- Organisation(s)
- Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information
- External organisation(s)
- Universität Basel, Tel Aviv University
- Journal
- Nature Nanotechnology
- Volume
- 7
- Pages
- 297-300
- No. of pages
- 4
- ISSN
- 1748-3387
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/NNANO.2012.34
- Publication date
- 2012
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 1030 Physics, Astronomy, 103026 Quantum optics, 103008 Experimental physics
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/realtime-singlemolecule-imaging-of-quantum-interference(35dd7e66-3e8e-4d19-9e4e-9c7eb75e8585).html