title: From Classical Xenon Fringes to Hydrogen Interferometry
creator: Müller, Simon Robert
description: The wave description of particles is a cornerstone of quantum physics and lies in the focus of multiple modern experiments.  The present work demonstrates the working principle of a Talbot-Lau interferometer with a wide range of particles, namely hydrogen, helium, argon, krypton, and xenon. Such an interferometer consists of three gratings and is herein extensively studied in respect of the most important factors which affect the quality of the interference pattern.   Special focus is given to the gratings' alignment requirements and to the intra-grating interactions which occur between the particles and the material gratings.  The experimental design which has been realised in the scope of this work is discussed in detail and tested with numerous characterisation measurements. These act as a preliminary stage to the working interferometer and provide various information, such as about the composition of the particle beam, the uniformity of the grating pitches, or the detection precision and data acquisition of the fringe pattern.  The constructed interferometer successfully operates with particles whose de Broglie wavelengths span more than two orders of magnitude, i.e. $\lambda_{dB} \in [\SI{0.02}{\pico\metre},  \SI{2.2}{\pico\metre}]$, and thus enables the observation of the transition to the classical equivalent of the Talbot-Lau interferometer,  the moir\'{e} deflectometer.  The shape of the interference pattern gives an insight into the intra-grating interactions, which are modelled by means of implanted charges inside the material gratings.  Furthermore, a novel idea of using the Talbot-Lau interferometer as a spectrometer is demonstrated.  To explore the wave nature also of ions, the work concludes with a discussion on the necessary conditions for, and the experimental implementation of a functioning Talbot-Lau interferometer with protons.
date: 2020
type: Dissertation
type: info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
type: NonPeerReviewed
format: application/pdf
identifier: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserverhttps://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/27912/1/mueller_simon_dissertation.pdf
identifier: DOI:10.11588/heidok.00027912
identifier: urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-279126
identifier:   Müller, Simon Robert  (2020) From Classical Xenon Fringes to Hydrogen Interferometry.  [Dissertation]     
relation: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/27912/
rights: info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights: http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/help/license_urhg.html
language: eng