An experiment that I propose contains a beam-splitter for protons. There is plenty of articles in the literature, about atoms interferometry. But, except for electron interferometry, I don't see articles on interferometry with charged particles. Whatever I need is a beam-splitter for protons, or ions - anyway, not neutral atoms. The beam-splitter I need should be imbalanced, i.e. the transmission coefficient be different from the reflection coefficient.
Can somebody help?
You should specify the energy range.
At low energy, a beam splitter could be imagined by manipulating the absorption of photons, a grating of standing waves for instance, but the wavelength will be such that proper lasers will be difficult to find and it will not work with protons. As to material gratings, the interaction of ions with matter is usually so large that decoherence or exchange of energy with the surrounding will be important.
Here also, it is important to clarify the energy range. From my experience, it is not impossible to imagine a crystal surface that would diffract a proton but: it should be non-polar (otherwise long-range excitation of optical modes would be too important), it should probably not be mettalic because electron capture would be important, it could be an insulator with a large bandgap to prevent neutralization and with heavy atoms to reduce phonon excitation etc...
P. Roncin
First of all thank you.
About the energy range, I think that a group-velocity of 10m/s per second would be convenient, i.e. cca. 0.08μeV. That would mean a wavelength 4×10-8m. I see that for building gratings of light the laser light should have a wavelength of 8×10-8m which is in the near UV range. Could it be that in this range the laser emission is rather particle-like?
My protons are not spin-polarized, if this is what you mean. About metallic surfaces, I also believe that they would be inconvenient with charged particles. I also thought about insulator materials, in which indeed should be cut holes. Is it a realistic idea?
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Physical Sciences
- Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
- Atoms