Matter wave optical systems in which an atomic beam intersects a diffraction grating at a grazing incidence

摘要

The optical system includes a matter diffraction grating and an atomic beam intersecting the grating at a grazing angle of incidence. The grazing incidence angle should be less than 10.sup.-2 radians. At such shallow angles of incidence, neutral atomic beams are diffracted by conventional diffraction gratings. A suitable grating has a local flatness of 10 Angstroms and has 2400 lines per millimeter. Preferred embodiments include interferometers, beam splitters and combiners, and velocity selectors.