Universität Wien

260014 VU The Physics of Matter-Waves (2019S)

5.00 ECTS (3.00 SWS), SPL 26 - Physik
Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Monday 04.03. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien (Kickoff Class)
  • Monday 11.03. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 18.03. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 25.03. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 01.04. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 08.04. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 29.04. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 06.05. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 13.05. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 20.05. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 27.05. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 03.06. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 17.06. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien
  • Monday 24.06. 12:15 - 14:45 Kurt-Gödel-Hörsaal, Boltzmanngasse 5, EG, 1090 Wien

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

1 The discovery of matter-waves
2 Fundamentals
2.1 Theoretical aspects of coherence
2.2 Density matrices
3 Kirchhoff-Fresnel diffraction theory
3.1 General outline of the problem
3.2 Far-field diffraction and Fourier Transforms
3.3 Near-field diffraction at an edge & slit
3.4 Near-Field diffraction at a grating: the Talbot effect and its applications
4 Sources & Detector Technologies
4.1 Electrons
4.2 Neutrons
4.3 Atoms & Diatomic Molecules
4.4 Macromolecules & Nanoparticles
5 Reminder: Atom-Light interactions
5.1 3 Views on the dipole force
6 Beam splitter concepts (E & T)
6.1 Diffraction at bulk crystals:
6.2 Diffraction at crystal surfaces: electrons & atoms & diatomic molecules
6.3 Diffraction at nanomechanical slits, double slits and gratings: neutrons, electrons, atoms, diatomic and polyatomic molecules
6.4 Measurement-induced optical gratings
6.5 Single-and Two-Photon beam splitters:
6.6 Off-resonant optical beam splitters
7 Interferometer concepts
7.1 Mach Zehnder Interferometer
7.2 Talbot Lau Interferometer
8 Theory of Mach-Zehnder interferometry
8.1 A Feynman Path integral approach
8.2 Phases in perturbed interferometers
9 Theoretical approaches to near-field matter-wave interference
9.1 A wave function approach to near-field interferometry
9.2 A density matrix & Wigner function approach
10 Matter-wave assisted measurement and sensing
10.1 Electrons
10.2 Atoms
10.3 Molecules
11 Matter-Waves observed in the time domain
11.1 Neutron interferometry in time:
11.2 Atom interferometry in time
11.3 Molecules
12 Quantum phases
12.1 Atom interferometers as atomic clocks
12.2 Topological effects etc.
12.3 Entanglement in matter-wave experiments
13 Quantum decoherence & non-standard extensions of the SE
13.1 Theory background
13.2 Experimental decoherence
13.3 Non-standard decoherence & dephasing: Massive clusters & Nanoparticles
14 Boundary conditions for high mass interferometry

This is a VU. The 2 hours of lecture will be complemented by student contributions which vary with the weeks from calculation and computing exercises over paper reports and lectures summaries.

Assessment and permitted materials

- Weekly ungraded exercises provide the required feedback and training
- Presence in 80% of the exercises is mandatory.
- There will be 2 written tests (à 1 hour ), one in the middle and one at the end of term.
You pass the test with >50% of all possible points. The scale above that is linear.
- Every student will prepare twice a written Latex summary of a lecture sessions (supported
by the info slides and books that we provide) and report on this as a review in the first 20
min of an exercise.

Total Grade:
25% first summary: written and oral presentation
25% 2nd summary: written and oral presentation
25% 1st written test
25% 2nd written test

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

- Weekly ungraded exercises provide the required feedback and training
- Presence in 80% of the exercises is mandatory.
- There will be 2 written tests (à 1 hour ), one in the middle and one at the end of term.
You pass the test with >50% of all possible points. The scale above that is linear.
- Every student will prepare twice a written Latex summary of a lecture sessions (supported
by the info slides and books that we provide) and report on this as a review in the first 20
min of an exercise.

Total Grade:
25% first summary: written and oral presentation
25% 2nd summary: written and oral presentation
25% 1st written test
25% 2nd written test

Examination topics

All material of the lecture + the associated exercises

Reading list

While a comprehensive single book is still missing, much of the required information is collected also in
1. A.D. Cronin, J. Schmiedmayer, D.E. Pritchard, Optics and interferometry with atoms and molecules, Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 1051-1129 (2009).
2. Tino G, Kasevich M. Atom Interferometry. IOS (2014).
3. Rauch H, Werner SA. Neutron Interferometry: Oxford University Press (2015).
4. Hasselbach, Progress in electron- and ion-interferometry. Rep. Prog. Phys. 73, 016101
(2010).
5. https://arxiv.org/abs/1501.07770

Association in the course directory

MaG 5, MaG 15, M-VAF A 2, M-VAF B

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:40